Throughout the ages, many nations have been known to do whatever it takes to sustain a valuable supply of resources. For this reason, however the exploitation of resources by countries using unfair means is an enduring issue for many groups of people. Exploitation of resources is when the government or outside forces take advantage of a nation’s resources. This issue is significant because it causes civil conflict and war, can impact people of nations terribly, and can destroy industry. Problems created by exploitation of resources can be seen in examples from Sierra Leone, the Congo and British India.
The exploitation of resources can lead to violence in many countries, an example being Sierra Leone. Many of the causes for the recent civil war in Sierra Leone trace back to the economic hunt for blood diamonds, a valuable and important resource. In Document 5, it is shown that the
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In the Congo, many of the people that lived there faced mistreatment, malnourishment, and hardships caused by Belgium's imperial hunger for resources such as rubber. While Belgium occupied the Congo in the 1800s, the people under its control were suffering greatly. In document 3, a political cartoon drawn in 1905 depicts the unfair treatment of those living in the Congo by the Belgians, specifically by King Leopold the II. In the cartoon, a working man, representing farmers in the Congo, is being strangled by a snake that represents the exploitation by Belgium. Belgium was marginalizing the population of the Congo by giving them no say in anything, and profiting of the resources of the area. The people of Congo themselves did not make money off of the resources leaving them powerless and poor, but instead the government of Belgium was the one making all the money. As a result, exploitation of resources hurt the people of the Congo politically, economically and