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Effects Of Imperialism In South Africa

1283 Words6 Pages

Zachary Aubin
Mr.Barrass
World History G
March 30, 2023
Imperialism in South Africa
The roots of imperialism in South Africa can first be traced back to 1652 when the Dutch East India Company, the first to annex South Africa, established a trading post at the Cape of Good Hope, today known as the modern city Cape Town, as a means of securing a halfway station for their trading ships en route to the East Indies; As during this time period, Britain had been experiencing unemployment issues that were damaging to their own economy and Europeans s Imperialism harmed South Africa's economy by causing resource extraction, labor exploitation, and the suppression of local industries, which in turn contributed to the country's economic decline. Imperialism …show more content…

The impact of the establishment of this settlement was tremendous as it allowed the Europeans to increase their level of dominance and allowed them to easily annex many valuable resources as the land was rich in natural resources such as gold, diamonds, and arable land for agriculture. “The mining industry was the backbone of the South African economy, and by the turn of the 20th century, South Africa had become the world’s largest producer of gold and diamonds” (Westmorland, Li, & McGee) The rapid extraction of resources had a profound impact on the South African economy and though it was beneficial for the Europeans and provided a significant source of income for the many South African business interests. It also had a vast amount of negative effects including environmental damage being one, but one of the most significant effects was the damage caused to the indigenous population. The native Khoiasan people who had once lived, living their own lives, that were native to the preexisting work infrastructure in South Africa had their jobs if they were not enslaved by the Europeans already. Their homes were suddenly stripped from them in a brutal manner forcing them off of their land specifically to make way for these mining operations. "The British fought two bitter …show more content…

This ultimately resulted in the decline of the nation's economic independence and an escalation of structural inequalities. “The discovery of diamonds and gold in South Africa in the late 1800s early 1900s had a major impact on the country’s economy. As Euprean imperialism spread across South Africa, these resources were exploited to fuel European economic growth, and South Africa’s economy became increasingly dependent on mining and expiration. This economic model created significant structural inequalities, as a vast major wealth generated by the mining industry was in the hands of European colonial powers and a small minority of white South Africans.” (HistoryCrunch) The concentration of wealth in the hands of a small minority of white South Africans and European colonial powers led to a lack of economic opportunities and resources for the broader population, Further establishing the country's subordinate position in the global economy and resulting in the decline of the nation's economic dependence and an escalation of structural inequalities. "The colonial experience in South Africa, as in other African countries, laid the groundwork for the emergence of capitalist systems. The colonial political economy was based on extracting resources from the colonies for the benefit

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