Homework Question on Colonization and Decolonization
Required Texts
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, Knopf Doubleday, 2004.
Robert Blaisdell, The Communist Manifesto and Other Revolutionary Writings, Dover, 2003.
James Carter and Richard Warren, Forging the Modern World, Oxford UP, 2015.
Olaudah Equine. The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano, Bedford, 2016.
Graham Greene, The Quiet American, Penguin, 2004.
Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front, Random House, 1987.
The construction of European Empires in the second half of the nineteenth century led to an unprecedented reordering of the globe. Citing specific examples, explain how the creation of European Empires reshaped the world. Then, still citing specific examples, describe how and why these empires largely came apart in the second half of the twentieth century? What forces helped shape the process of decolonization?
Homework Answer on Colonization and Decolonization
The European nations started explorations of the rest of the world as early as 15th century. These explorations were aimed at finding new areas to conquer and dominate. They were able to take control of major sea routes and discover America before the 19th century. By the mid of 19th century, the European countries were motivated by industrial revolutions in their countries and they sought new places to grow raw materials and to sell their products. These countries began ambitious colonial expansions and were energized by their discovery of new lands to settle poor migrants in Europe, new market for their products and the desire to civilize the barbarians.
Europe was competing with the rest f the world and wanted to establish itself as a military and economic power house. The main countries which were involved in the conquest race were the Netherlands, France, England and Spain. They used all means necessary including the use of conquerors, merchants, adventurers, and missionaries. The image below shows how the colonization by the European countries had shaped the world.
The European nations brought the issue of colonies and partitioned the new lands. New borders were put in place and movement of people and goods were restricted within these borders. Every colony was headed by a representative appointed by the respective colonial empire. The traditional authorities were forced to surrender their power to the colonial powers and in some cases were forced back to being ordinary citizens. The colonial powers brought with them their cultures into their new colonies; the people were taught the culture and religious practices of the ruling empire. The colonial empires judged their strength by the number of colonies under their rule.