Arguments Against Imperialism

Like a wise man by the name of Sukrano once said, “I hate imperialism. I detest colonialism. And I fear the consequences of their last bitter struggle for life. We are determined, that our nation, and the world as a whole, shall not be the play thing of one small corner of the world.” (Kegley and Blanton 2016, 121) The African people have been victims of imperialism for so long and, even today, they wish to erase all the scars left by it. As a weak nation, Africa is still suffering from “indirect colonialism” and exploitation. These scars have traumatized Africa, and caused to become vulnerable, needing the investments of countries that wish to take advantage of its resources. Basically, imperialism is the influence over a certain region or

In the beginning, many Europeans “justified” their colonization by their desire to spread Christianity to African lands. On the other hand, many Europeans justified their domination by several rationales which describe how they are the superior race fit to rule. It is important to note that the Europeans wanted to benefit their homelands by the cash crops and cheap labor found in Africa. The colonial era of Africa by European powers was officially incited by the Berlin Conference (1884-1885) which gave rise to the “Scramble for Africa” which divided the continent among European powers in an official manner. (Gellar 1986,122) Consequently, the Europeans started conquering many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, imposed many unjust rules, forced many to Westernize, and treated them harshly. The Europeans’ discriminatory attitude towards the Africans greatly affected them in so many ways. They, too, started to think they were inferior and their culture was unworthy of embracing. Consequently, some started adopting Christianity, learning European languages, and some even adopted their way of

The rationales used to legitimize the conquest of Africa were influenced by theories that encouraged that society be organized in a way that the nation-state and industrial capitalism characterized the most advanced forms of social organization. Therefore, the Europeans thought that it was their responsibility and duty, as the more superior race, to conquer the “lower” civilizations and bring peace and prosperity upon them. “White Man’s Burden” would be an example of a poem that “gave permission” to the white colonizers to enforce Western civilization on the black inhabitants of Africa. The Europeans viewed their colonizing as a civilizing mission or “burden” that the black inhabitants should be thankful for. (Gellar 1986, 126) Another theory that was used to legitimize European rule would be social darwinism which was derived from Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Social darwinism was based on Darwin’s biological theories of 'natural selection' and the 'survival of the fittest.' It was used to legitimize a social structure and a capitalist system where the whites were the ones who are fit to dominate and are superior to other racial groups. (Townson 2001) These theories led to the rise of a master-servant relationship between the Europeans and Africans. Moreover, the Africans were referred to as “native” which implies that