We explain what colonialism is, its causes and the factors involved, as well as its characteristics and consequences.
Colonialism seizes territories by force.
What is Colonialism?
Colonialism is a system of domination by both political and military means, of one country over anotherA state with high economic and military power, called a metropolis, exercises direct control over a territory that is outside its borders, which is called a colony.
The colonies have no autonomy or self-determinationmeaning that its legislative and tax structure is determined by the mother country. Although colonized territories are taken by force, this does not mean that their population does not want to belong to the territory of the mother country. In fact, as the centuries pass, local populations can identify with the imposed nationality.
The colonists are those people who were born in the metropolis but traveled to the colonies to settle in the conquered territories.
Although colonialism It has existed in various forms for thousands of yearsIn general, when we mention colonialism we refer to European colonialism, initiated by France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Russia and Germany in the 15th century and which continued until the 20th century inclusive.
See also: Expansionism
Economic causes of colonialism
The beginning of colonialism coincides with the beginning of the first industrial revolution.
Colonialism largely arises from the economic needs of a state, associated with:
- Raw Materials. Agricultural products such as tea (British colonialism in Asia) or rubber (Spanish colonialism in America) require climates or large areas of land that could not be found in Europe. While these goods can be obtained through trade, it is cheaper for the colonizing nation to take possession of the land and obtain them without paying for them.
- Overproduction. The beginning of colonialism occurred simultaneously with the beginning of the first industrial revolution, that is, the moment when small-scale artisanal production was replaced by mass production. This excess of products in many cases did not find a market among European consumers. However, as territories expanded, so did the market.
- Cheap labor. The original inhabitants of the European colonies had been defeated, meaning they had to accept the conditions imposed by the colonizer. In some cases, this meant offering their labor for a low price, and in other cases (as in America) it meant enslavement.
Political and cultural causes of colonialism
The countries that begin a colonial expansion are in all cases powers with great economic and military power. They are in competition with other powersso expanding its territory implies advancing in said competition.
On the other hand, colonialism It requires a large number of people who are willing not only to fight war but also to populate distant and unknown territories. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the principles inherited from the Enlightenment, which supported exploration, were superimposed on the romantic taste for the exotic. Another ideological driving force of colonization was nationalism, which moved the population to strive to make their nation grow.
Technological factors of colonialism
New technologies gave Europeans an advantage over other civilizations.
In addition to the needs of the colonizing nations, for colonialism to be possible a number of factors must be presentamong which are technological advantages.
Between the 15th and 18th centuries the constants Armed conflicts in Europe favored the development of military technologyThis meant a significant advantage for Europeans over Asian, African and American civilizations.
Biological factors of colonialism
Europeans brought with them viruses and bacteria that did not exist in the lands they conquered and therefore local populations had no natural defenses against them. For example, In America there was no malaria, leprosy, typhoid fever, diphtheria or measleswhich proved lethal to the native inhabitants. In this way, the chances of resistance were reduced..
Colonialism and imperialism
Imperialism often takes territories without using force.
Imperialism is a form of political domination of one state over another. Imperialism can take the form of colonialismand all official empires were founded thanks to colonialist policies.
However, There can be imperialism without colonialism, that is, without the use of military force.This is due to the economic, cultural and/or political influence that a power can exert on countries that depend on them, usually for economic reasons.
This means that The main basis of imperialism is foreign debtsince creditor countries can impose all kinds of conditions. Imperialism is also called neocolonialism.
British Empire
In the 18th and 19th centuries, British colonization extended towards the East.
Britain’s territorial expansion began in the 17th century. when the Jamestown colony was established on American territory (1607). In addition to the thirteen colonies located where the United States is today, British colonies were established in the Caribbean, where labor was obtained through the enslavement of native populations.
In the 18th and 19th centuries British colonization also extended to the Eastdominating Australia and New Zealand.
More on: British Empire.
Spanish Empire
Being the discoverers of the continent, the Spanish They established the largest number of colonies in North, Central and South AmericaThe colonized territories were divided into Viceroyalties, that is, they were administered by a Viceroy who governed in the name of the Spanish king.
At the end of the 18th century, the Spanish Empire It came to cover 20 million square kilometers.
French Colonial Empire
The French colonial empire established colonies on the shores of the Indian Ocean and in the Caribbean.
France disputed with the United Kingdom the territories of North America. In addition, it established colonies on the shores of the Indian Ocean and in the Caribbean. However, the majority of its colonial territory was in Africa. This empire lasted until the Second World War, when the processes of decolonization began in Asia (starting with Vietnam) and Africa (starting with Cameroon).
Consequences of colonialism for the metropolises
In the powers that initiated the colonizations, The consequences were different in each caseIn all cases, the colonies gave them economic growth, but it was exploited in different ways.
In the United Kingdom, for example, raw materials obtained through colonization supported the development of growing industrialism. However, In Spain, it only delayed the growing indebtedness of the court..
Consequences of colonialism for colonized territories
The colonies received the ideology and beliefs of the metropolis.
The colonized territories were drastically modifiedsince for the most part local cultures were completely eliminated or in the best cases native elements were combined with elements of the colonizing cultures.
Along with the language, the colonies received the ideology, scientific knowledge and religious beliefs of the metropolisalthough in each territory the impact of these was different.
For example, In many regions of America there are almost no speakers of native languageswhile in Africa a significant part of the population is bilingual. However, in Asia and Africa the demographic impacts (population changes) were smaller.
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