Colonialism and De-colonialism in Asia and Africa

Imperialism, Colonialism and De-colonialism in Asia and Africa 

1.      Definition, meanings and explanation

2.      Types of Colonialism

                    i.            Settler Colonialism

                  ii.            Exploitation Colonialism

                iii.            Surrogate Colonialism

                iv.            Internal Colonialism

1.      Objectives of imperialism and colonialism

                    i.            Economic benefits

                  ii.            National prestige and status quo

                iii.            National defense and competing strategy

                iv.            Population adjustment along with other objectives

                  v.            The white men’s burden

                vi.            Marxist Lenin perspective

3.      Imperial powers of the world and their colonies

4.      Impact of colonialism and imperialism

                    i.            Positive Impacts

                  ii.            Negative Impacts

5.      How colonialism ended and start of neocolonialism

6.      Factors or causes of decolonization

                    i.            Emergence of right of self determination and spirit of Nationalism

                  ii.            Catastrophic Impacts of World War II

                iii.            Role of UNO

                iv.            Cold War and Super powers anti colonial movement

7.      Neo colonialism and its types

                    i.            Political colonies

                  ii.            Economic dependencies

                iii.            Satellite states

8.      Reasons for neo colonialism

                    i.            Period of welfare and rehabilitation

                  ii.            Incapability of newly independent state

                iii.            Imbalance of trade

                iv.            Cold war politics and dependencies of poor states  

9.      Methods of new colonialism

                    i.            Economic and financial means

                  ii.            Foreign aid and assistance

                iii.            Multinational corporation and foreign direct investments

                iv.            Dependence of poor states for industrialization

                  v.            Military intervention

                vi.            Innovation in science and technology

10.  Does colonialism ended in the world?

11.  Legacy of Colonialism

12.  Do states have better conditions after independence then colonized?

13.  Conclusion

Colonialism: Definition, Meanings and Explanation

Collins English Dictionary defines colonialism as "the policy and practice of a power in extending control over weaker peoples or areas".

Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary defines colonialism as "the system or policy of a nation seeking to extend or retain its authority over other people or territories"

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary offers four definitions, including "something characteristic of a colony" and "control by one power over a dependent area or people"

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy "uses the term 'colonialism to describe the process of European settlement and political control over the rest of the world, including the Americas, Australia, and parts of Africa and Asia".

Decolonization In Asia And Africa

Industrial revolution enabled big powers to spread globally for searching raw material. Colonial powers rule directly and indirectly. When colonial powers are in charge of government in colonies then this rule is called direct rule. But when colonial powers does not rule the nation by appointing its people to govern but they appoint people from ingenious people who fulfill their interests such rule is called indirect rule.

During the period of colonialism there was no modernization and industrialization and no science and development even very little education for the colonized nations. Colonial powers used double edged sword for their own benefit. Like on the one hand they used colonial territory for raw material and cheap labor but on the other hand they used colonial population for the buying of their finished goods which are made from raw material and blood of colonized nations.  Slave labor take away the people from access of education and awareness of their human rights. .

Colonialism in Asia started from 1606 and ended in 1960s. Dutch, Spain, Britain, Netherlands, France and US were the major colonial powers who came to Asia in different eras or sometimes in the same era but in different places of the same territory. The purpose is to control trade routes and to extract profitable raw material. In 20^th century Japan annexed into Korea, Indonesia, Indochina started from 1910 to the end of WWII.

Colonialism in Africa started in 1885 and ended in 1945 and nearly entire continent was European colony. Europeans draw boundaries of their own preferences and totally ignored the tribal alliances, traditional borders and tribal conflicts which resulted into unfinished regional and boundary conflict among nations.  

In Africa Ghana- a sub-Saharan African country which got independence firstly (boycott, protest, strikes, conflicts and many more were applied for independence). Angole, Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Cameron and Zimbabwe fought brutal war for independence.

North Africa primary control by two countries, England (east) and France (North West). French did not allow their colonies to be free but in 1950 they granted independence to 15 other colonies. Morocco, Malay, Chad, Tunisia, Libya got freedom from France.

Factors For Decolonization

Rights of Self Determination: Self Determination is the ability in people to choose for them what type of environment they want. During the wave of enlightenment and awareness educated upper class Africans who backed from European education system started to launch a campaign in their respective territory for self rule and self government.  This developed the feelings of oneness among various nations in Africa. So this concept of nationalism led various movements for self-determination like Pan African movement and Negritude movement. These political movements started to change the European Hegemony to self-governing. Such African governments were actually inspired by American Civil wars and Spanish movements in Caribbean countries.

Catastrophic Effects of Second World War: WWII weakened the European powers to maintain the influence in their respective colonies. These powers spent lot of time and money in that war coupled with independent movements in these respective colonies put pressure on European nations to get rid from their imperial ambitions.

Secondly, UNO put pressure of colonial powers on the bases of human rights of self-determination.

Thirdly, during cold war USA and USSR supported anti-imperialism movements in various areas. These super powers for getting more alliances encouraged the independence movements in all over the world.

Decolonization In Asia:

Independence movements in sub-continent was started early during the WWII which play lot of pressure on British imperialism.  Congress and Muslim League were the main anti-groups after as well as against British for self-governance and independence of two separate states for each part i.e, India for Hindu and Pakistan for Muslims. Before WWII, Indian Congress granted government according to Indian act 1935. It means they still have colony but got more autonomy and self-rule.

India is jewel in the crown of British Empire so England does not let India to go out. Similar Nationalism movements started in Indochina, Indonesia and other East Asian nations before WWII. There is an interesting fact in Asia decolonization is that Japan started to annex most of the colonies even after WWII. These annexed territories got independence after world war II when japan surrendered before Allied Powers.  So, each nation in Asia did not fight freedom movements individually like Africa. Few nations feared to stay as an independent state as they preferred to join colonial powers again as common wealth of independent nations. Ten million refugees flee from one state to another during Indo Pak independence and brutal and bloody borders which leg to one million dead for violence.

After that British colonies granted independence to Burma in 1962, Malaysia, Singapore. Burma led by military general at the time of independence in 1988.

Legacy Of Colonialism

Instability, coups, conflicts and civil war after the colonial and imperial power leave those states because these imperial powers left nothing for the people of colonized nation to run the governments. They left no political and trained administration and did not educate the local people. After they left the colonies, the newly independent states were terrible to exist. Again the colonial super powers intervene these poor nations indirectly by branding their cultural, political, social and economic values to them. They again went to Neo-Colonialism. As majority of colonized nations were bankrupt and indulged in the gulf of loans, exploitation of natural  resources, engage in inter and intrastate conflicts and by multinational companies, who actually direct the nations, decide the government policies, and also fulfill their interests. Legacy of Colonialism is that the newly independent states are actually not independent economically, politically and socially. Even for the industrialization they depend on these scientific and technologically advanced nations for machines.

In the wake of WWII a wave of nationalism swept across the Asia and Africa which empowered historically oppressed people to seek independence from their colonial masters. This global movements is called decolonization.  This process occurs of two forms: Violent (as in Africa) Non-Violent (as in mostly Asia). Few states remain under the umbrella of their colonial power even after independence due to poor political, social, economic and administrative conditions. These nations often afraid to be fully independent. But other nations, who dare for independence both internally and externally are remained prosperous or went worse conditions as of colonies. Many nations after independence faced civil wars, ethnic violence, and genocide by the majority population and often face brutal dictators. Colonial powers left no such skills such as education and awareness among the indigenous people so that after independence, they were unable to groom themselves.

But after 70 years, many nations in the world like Malaysia, Pakistan and Singapore. passing through various experiments of politics and economic system. Pakistan an Atomic Nuclear power, Malaysia and Singapore an economic hub of East Asia. Similarly India an economic power even surpass the economy of previous colonial powers like France, Portugal and even England.

Colonial Powers and States who Got Independent:

United Kingdom: Afghanistan 1919, India and Pakistan 1947, Burma 1948, Sri Lanka 1948, Palestine 1948, Malaysia 1957. Singapore 1963, Brunei 1984, Hong Kong 1997,  Sara wak 1963, Ghana 1957.

FRANCE: Vietnam 1945, Cambodia 1953, Laos 1953, French India 1954.

PORTUGAL: Macaw 1999, Portages India 1961.

SPAIN: Guam 1898, Philippines 1898, FS Micronesia 1899, Northern Mariana Island 1899.

NETHER LAND: Indonesia 1945, Northern New Guinea 1962.

US: Philippines 1946

JAPAN: North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan (1945)

To be Continue…………………………