Effects Of Colonialism In Africa

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Introduction:
The industrial revolution allowed Europe to become an one of the economic power houses of the world. Why the industrial revolution happened in Europe and not in Africa will be the subject of the argument. Specific reference will be on the period of the explorers (Ca. 1400-2750) and the period of the industrial revolution, specifically in Britain (Ca.1750-1900). The following aspects will be the main discussion points: Colonialism and its effect on Africa, Geographical location, the cultural difference between Africa and Europe, Human capital formation in both Countries and the institutional development in each continent.
Colonialism and its effect on Africa:
In order to discuss colonialism it is necessary to define what colonialism is, according to dictionary.com: “colonialism is the control or governing influence of a nation over a dependant country, territory or group”. The main exploration countries, mainly: Spain, Britain, Portugal and the Netherlands, colonised numerous other countries in their travels and for the expansion of their nations (Cameron, 1993). A major aspect of income for the colonialists was slavery, the colonialists took only citizens of economic value as slaves. This left Africa with less citizens of working age and caused an influx of slave labour in European countries. The wealth that colonialists drained from Africa was not reinvested into Africa it was used to grow the European economy, anything that was produced in Africa was also not