Title: The Consequences of Imperialism | Imperialism | Colonialism
Headings: The Consequences of Imperialism
The Consequences of Imperialism
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The Consequences of Imperialism
Imperialism, the forceful extension of a nation’s authority by establishing political and
Imperialist ambitions pushed for the economic exploitation of colonized nations to
Regardless of the possible economic or technological benefits of imperialism, it is
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Content: The economy of colonized territories was not diversified or turned
into an industrial one, and instead a select number of goods were targeted, and their
production/extraction hugely increased.7 Imperial investment and construction focused on
the development and construction of communications, railways, plantations and mines,8
investments which did not by themselves help in the economic transformation of the
country from agricultural to industrial. Rather, these investments were intended to
accelerate the exploitation of the colonies’ natural resources and agricultural capacities. Once the nation attained political independence from the mother country, the legacy left
behind from imperialism established an economy which depended on the export of a few
select natural resources and agricultural, leaving the country’s economy extremely
vulnerable to market price fluctuations. Most importantly, the unwillingness of imperial
powers to reinvest the profits gained from their colonies in their industrial development
3
http://www.american.edu/ted/ivorywd.htm
4
http://books.google.com/books?id=KEdPowDRZgQC&pg=PA566&lpg=PA566&dq=haiti+deforestation+
french+colonialism&source=web&ots=fOsgCCSdIh&sig=Uy7s4G6hz1lPowNX3gNy7Az2bCg
5
http://www.american.edu/TED/ice/haitidef.htm
6
http://www.american.edu/ted/ivorywd.htm
7
http://www.american.edu/ted/ivorywd.htm
8
http://www.louisiana.edu/Academic/LiberalArts/HiGe/members/nicassio_files/Imperialism.htm
fforcefully kept colonies under a fragile agricultural economy 9 while still depriving them
of their finite natural resources. Thus, imperialism had a highly negative effect on the
economic growth of colonized nations. The partitioning of colonies worldwide into the spheres of influence of imperial powers
created colonies that encompassed numerous ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups into
a single political entity. This recurrent aspect of imperialism was most notable in Africa,
where its partitioning did not correspond to the historical, cultural, or ethnic boundaries
of pre-colonial African societies. Thus, states were created which shared widely diverse
ethnic populations which felt no identity or connection to the political entity which they
had been forcefully drawn into.10 The political legacy left behind by imperialism left a
cluster of artificially-formed states which had no historic or cultural similarities on which
to legitimatize its existence.11 This situation, along with the economic difficulties suffered
because of the previously discussed issues, led to an environment of political turmoil
based on ethnic, religious, and linguistic.12 Countries deeply divided among ethnic lines,
a result of imperialism, not only led to the political instability of the former colonies, but
also, in some cases, led to serious violence. Modern-day Kenya exemplifies this, as the
competition of two different ethnic groups for the control of the government has led to a
situation comparable to that of an early civil war.13 It is thus clear that imperialism has
resulted in a permanent liability in the geo-political situation of a great number of
countries worldwide. Regardless of the possible economic or technological benefits of imperialism, it is
difficult to even begin to justify those ends by the tremendous loss of life that occurred
because of it.