The Impetus of Imperialism

Although overt colonialism is a relic only to be found within history books, a new method of controlling the will of an entire nation is now increasingly prevalent in society:

Neo-colonialism; the practice of using capitalism, globalization and cultural imperialism to influence a developing country in lieu of direct military control or indirect political control.

This post will thus explore the nature of these influences, whilst evaluating its effects on countries subjected to its control.

To begin to understand modern day neo-colonialism, we must first understand the historical context behind it. Since the 1950s, Africa has been subject to post-colonial powers that exert their economic superiority in order to exploit underdeveloped nations. France was one of the largest perpetrators of this, exploiting the resources of many African nations through control over their political leaders such as in Gabon, Ivory Coast, Chad, Togo and Niger. Additionally, the United States was responsible for similar exploitation in Latin America that instigated large-scale political turmoil within the region. The Cold War was a prime example of nations using neo-colonialism as a means of boosting their own strength in the world, as proxy wars between the US and USSR were waged around the world. Cuba and Egypt are two states where strong geopolitical interests have historically led to governments being overthrown and revolutions being incited. Although these are extreme cases where neo-colonisation was only one factor in the unrest, the effects are still detrimental to society as a whole.

Read the rest of this article at https://0syndicated.wixsite.com/syndicated/blog-1/the-impetus-of-imperialism

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Written by Vidur Channa on Syndicated