Essay about Colonialism - 670 Words

European overseas expansion evolved from sixteenth-century colonialism driven by mercantilism to nineteenth-century nationalistic imperialism. Both had different forces compelling them; thus different countries—although most the same—participated in each phenomenon with unique, but largely similar goals. These two forces that overtook the world are comparable as they both have the same objectives; however, mercantilism compelled colonialism while nationalism drove imperialism. Colonialism Beginning in the sixteenth century and lasting until the early seventeenth century, several European countries colonialized by formally exerting the control of their political entity over another political entity in a different geographical location.†¦show more content†¦God, or religion, played a role in colonialism; sometimes with Roman Catholic colonialists eager to spread their beliefs to the non-Christian native peoples, or sometimes with colonialists eager to leave it all behind and start anew without the pressures of religious intolerance. Glory, or colonial supremacy, also played a big role in colonialism. A race to be number one in trade, in goods, and in colonies was always a sprint to the finish. However, the biggest motivation in colonialism was the mercantilistic doctrine that dominated the mindset of the European colonial powers in the sixteenth century. Mercantilism held that a nation’s wealth consisted of the amount of precious metals, especially gold, it possessed. It assumed that the volume of world wealth and trade was relatively static; so one countrys gain required anothers loss. Thus, each individual country protected their domains and enterprises against European rivals, preventing their trading allies and their subject people overseas from trading with their rivals if at all possible. In addition, a colonial possession—whether it was a factory, settlement colony, or plantation—should provide wealth to the country that controlled it and was only an appendage of the mother country. In other words, colonies theoretically existed only for the economic benefit of the colonialist’s country. The European countries that involved themselves in colonialism mostlyShow MoreRelatedColonialism : Colonialism And Colonialism1821 Words   |  8 PagesJà ¡fia Petersen ENL 110B Professor Evan Watkins November 18th, 2014 Post-Colonial Colonialism Although Edward Said is one of the intellectuals who helped start the field of post-colonialism, the topic of colonialism in Orientalism raise the following question: is there such thing as â€Å"post-colonialism†? Is colonialism not happening every day in various forms? It seems that the only difference from modern colonialism to its classic meaning is that a ruler representing the colonizer has physically leftRead MoreColonialism740 Words   |  3 PagesPolitical legacy of colonialism in India A lot of countries were experienced of political legacy of colonialism. This essay will focus on concept colonialism and its reasons. This notion could be defined in different ways. Colonialism is a situation of some territory which ruled by another country. Colonialism is a political-economic phenomenon whereby various European nations explored, conquered, settled, and exploited large areas of the world. Colonialism developed from imperialism, which canRead MoreColonialism2524 Words   |  11 PagesDefine Colonialism (Western) Colonialism: A political-economic phenomenon whereby various European nations explored, conquered, settled, and exploited large areas of the world. The purposes of colonialism included economic exploitation of the colonys natural resources, creation of new markets for the colonizer, and extension of the colonizers way of life beyond its national borders. In the years 1500 – 1900 Europe colonized all of North and South America and Australia, most of AfricaRead Morecolonialism1163 Words   |  5 PagesHow should we evaluate colonialism? The colonial era lasted for 50-80 years in most African countries and left a lasting legacy. But many years pass before the definitive balance of its legacy can be properly struck. On the one hand, it is easy to see the destructive forces that were set loose; on the other hand, there was also a record of high-minded devotion and desire to serve the interest of the people who had come under foreign rule. Although Western countries had been in contact with AfricaRead MoreColonialism : A New Type Of Colonialism2124 Words   |  9 Pagesdeveloped. Colonialism is the reason why most of the world’s countries are still described as developing Nations. Colonialism is when a ruling power takes control over an alien people or a nation that is separate from their own, over an extended period of time. The legacies left by colonialism have made it difficult for those countries to build back their economies, governments and gain overall stability. As those countries that were colonized tried to develop, a new type of colonialism called neo-Read MoreColonialism And Post Colonialism By Ania Loomba886 Words   |  4 Pagesthe concept of colonialism and post-colonialism, with a particular focus on the impact in planning. Although both concepts are not new, Ania Loomba in her book â€Å"Colonialism and Post Colonialism† provides a more exhaustive research on the regards. She argues that colonialism is the physical occupation of territory whereas post colonialism deals with effect of colonization on culture and societies. She also expanded the concepts including two new terms imperialism and Neo-colonialism. This is notRead MoreEssay on Colonialism740 Words   |  3 PagesColonialism It is almost a given now that most everyone considers colonialism as a mistake. They thought that the spreading of ideas, culture, and religion would have a positive effect on the native cultures they colonized. In fact though, these changes had an adverse effect on the peoples of these countries. For although many laud the efforts of these countries to spread Christianity, some question the motives of these countries in dealing the everyday needs of these people. In seeing theRead MoreColonialism in Nigeria1132 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is Colonialism? Colonialism is a system where one country has taken over another and foists its political power, culture, religion and language on it, or as Kozowsaki puts it: â€Å"Colonialism is a system of direct political, economic and cultural control by a powerful country over a weaker one† (Kozlowski, 46). The following essay takes two underdeveloped countries – Nigeria and Iran – and assesses the impact of the colonial era on their contemporary politics and political systems. More specificallyRead MoreColonialism And Imperialism1836 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"What do I think of Western civilization? I think it would be a very good idea.† – Mahatma Gandhi â€Å"I would say colonialism is a wonderful thing. It spread civilization to Africa.† – Ian Smith Over the centuries Colonialism and Imperialism have been viewed, justified and experienced differently throughout the world. The very idea created questions of both legitimacy as well as indignity in the minds of historians, writers, scholars and critics of the world. However, the growing incongruence andRead MoreAfrican Colonialism During Post Colonial Colonialism2100 Words   |  9 PagesIt is evident that European colonialism had deeply affected the political system within post-colonial Africa. One of the main leading legacies of colonialism that hindered the development of post-colonial African states would be the ethnic division and the state conflicts resulting from ethnic rivalry after independence . Scholars would argue the weakness within African politics would be due to creation of forty new states brought about by the European colonial powers in the Berlin Conference of