Imperialism And Colonization Analysis

Introduction
Throughout history, the ultimate desideratum of states was power, and imperialism as well as colonization were an outcome of the competitive pursuit of economic and political supremacy. Imperialism is defined as the extension of control over another state with the purpose of expanding wealth, dominion and influence through direct or indirect alien rule over a territory. Colonisation was the manifestation of this, where the colonial powers owned exclusive rights to the markets and resources of the colonized, and thus, exploit these for economic gain, through the peripheralisation of colonies and the establishment of a core. This analytical essay will address the role of imperialism and colonisation in two parts. The first part will

The control over the means of production in the form of seeds and credit forced civilians into a cycle of dependency on the imperial elite, who maintained the exclusive rights to sell them. This highlighted the central characteristic of distant interests tying the local economy to the global market. As such, the colonies were locked into cash crops such as opium and cotton instead of crops that subsisted the local population. Since the demand for raw materials was also commensurate with market demands, the colonies were exposed to the volatility of the global economy, where price fluctuations of commodities were less stable as opposed to that of finished goods. Hence, when there was a lack of rainfall, the price of grain soared and famine occurred in India, China and Brazil. Since the English elite possessed the means to pay for the inflated price of grain, it was subsequently funneled out from India, resulting in the starvation of millions (O’Brien & Williams, 2016:77). In a parallel with India, the cultivation system in Indonesia led to the destruction of native industry as villagers were occupied in producing cash crops throughout the seasons (Bagchi, 2009:100). The forced production in cash crops led to widespread starvation and famine, as there were crops for local

This comes at the expense of local businesses, which are driven out by monopolies and exposed to the vagaries of the global economy. Without the nurturing of domestic productive capabilities, Zambia’s subordinate role in the global economy in producing inputs is therefore, entrenched. While this form of imperialism does not impose structural transformations to economic regimes, it leverages on the current neoliberal structures imposed by the colonial powers of the past and it shows that current, global production processes are a result of historical, imperialist