The effects of imperialism were generally negative, but there were a few positives as well.
Negatives legacies:
- Political immaturity. After being under direct rule (British) and indirect (rule), African societies never got a chance to develop or experiment with different forms of government- elections, polling, legislatures, checks and balances, etc. Therefore contemporary corruption in African politics often has its roots in imperialism. Likewise it established the precedent of %26quot;gatekeeper states%26quot;, basically oppressive regimes run by dictators whose governments are incapable of addressing domestic social issues and are propped up by taxing the natural resources that leave the country. The tradition of simply killing/exiling/intimidating your political opponents rather than reasoning or cooperating with them has its roots in the way the European administrators dealt with stubborn African tribes.
- Extraction of natural resources and material wealth OUT of Africa. The Europeans built lots of railroads, which was a plus, but the railroads only led towards the shore and coastline, where the gold and copper and whatever else the Europeans desired could be shipped into Europe.
- Complete absence of social infrastructure development. Because the Europeans were so focused on making money and extracting material wealth, they neglected building roads, schools, hospitals, all the necessary infrastructure that is a product of everyday life.
- Deep psychological wounds. Although it has been almost a half a century since most of the African states gained their independence, many Africans today still feel angry / humiliated / inadequate. For example, Mugabe in Zimbabwe continually plays upon these wounds of imperialism by making white Zimbabweans the scapegoats for the country's economic problems.
- Ethnic conflicts. Rwanda is a great example of this. The Belgians and Germans basically just decided to call one group of Rwandans Hutus, and another Tutsis in order to make governing easier. Hutus, Tutsis, and many other tribal groups in Africa are largely European %26quot;invented identities%26quot;. Once the Europeans left, Africans actually started believing in these invented indentities, and this has led to many many tribal/ethnic conflicts, most notably the Rwandan genocide during the 1990s.
Positive:
- Increased social mobility. Imperialism relied in large part on Africans ruling over Africans- the Europeans needed competent Africans to help govern their colonies. Therefore there were actually often increased opportunities for advancement up the social ranks if Africans could read/write/speak European language and conform to European customs and modes of behavior.
- Exposure to Christianity and missions. This ties into the above point. The Christian missions gave some Africans the chance to learn to read/write, and thus offered them a window into a whole other part of society they were previously denied access to.How did european imperialism change life for the people of africa?
the ******* learned what millenniums of culture mean and also how it makes white ppl vastly superior to themHow did european imperialism change life for the people of africa?
It changed there lives pretty drastically, they loss a lot of their freedoms and were forced to condemn their own cultures in favor of european culture
They were often unfairly treated and im many cases tribes were cut in have and families were torn apart.
There ancient styles of worship and traditions were usually made illegal so as a result many african religions, languages, and traditions faded.How did european imperialism change life for the people of africa?
The problem with European colonisation in Africa was that it totally disregard the local political dynamics. The Congress of Berlin in 1880 drew the map, and then the European countries just took whatever they wanted, some region (such as Cango) had multiple tribes, races and languages but were ruled as one colony. The present-day South Africa for example, has 11 official languages. So it posponded the traditional rivalry until independence.
The focus on raw material export also made Africa, dependent on whatever material it was exporting to sustain economy, eg South Africa, gold, Ethopia, coffee, Tanznia timber etc etc. The failiure of African countries to diversify their economy was the direct result of how Europeans structured their economy.
