Date post: | 23-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | alexandra-bradford |
View: | 215 times |
Download: | 0 times |
The Colonial Legacy
Historical Colonialism
• 16th to second half of 20th centuries• Profound impacts still felt today
– Economically– Politically – Socially
• Current economic progress and problems of developing world rooted in colonial past
The Colonies
• Needed to establish reliable trade routes between Europe and East Asia
• Colonies existed only to meet the needs of the colonizers
• Competition between European nations to secure strategic locations, seaways, and routes
Treaty of Tordesillas
Colonial Trade Routes
Periods of Colonialism
Pre-Industrial Revolution
• Suppliers of goods– Canada: lumber,
fur– US: cotton,
tobacco– East: spices, teas
Post-Industrial Revolution
• Mercantilist system
• Colonies as a captive market
• Severe economic restrictions– India (cotton)
Concession Companies
• Created to establish trade in the colonies (e.g., HBC)
• Traded in particular products (e.g., fur)
• Served as government in remote regions
British East India Company
Impacts of Colonialism
Land Tenure
Plantations
Cash Crops
Artificial Trade Controls
• Taxes / tariffs on goods to protect economic interests of mother country
• Manufacturing restrictions to eliminate competition
Environmental Problems
• No environmental protection laws• Mining, forestry, agriculture and
manufacturing industries– Pollution
• Chemical• Biological• Physical waste
– Non-sustainable
Foreign Political Systems
• Traditional political systems disregarded
Elite Groups
Redrawn Boundaries
Imposition of Culture & Language
• Positives– Common
language– Cultural imports
are widely shared• Cricket
• Negatives– Local cultures
made inferior– Establish social
hierarchies
Infrastructure
• Transportation routes established to move raw materials and goods, not populated areas
Current Economic Colonialism
• Classic colonialism replaced by informal imperialism
• Support of client states (financial and military) in exchange for support
Colonies’ Role Colonial Period Post-Colonial Period
Source of raw materials
Source of manufactured products
Market for manufactured goods
Chief beneficiary
Yes
No, competition not wanted
Yes
Colonial power
Yes
Yes, because of cheap labour supply
Yes
Transnational Corporation