GHS 372 Colonialism

Thu Aug 21

Colonialism

A collision between distinct peoples; the colonizing and the colonized

• A political system in which one group in one place dominates and takes control over another group in another place

• An economic system in which the dominant power benefits from and has control over the dominated territories

Examples of Colonialism throughout human history

• The Norman Conquest of 1066

• The Mongol Empire

• The Persian Empire

• The Roman Empire

• The Ottoman Empire

When did Western European colonialism begin?

• 15th Century

What was the purpose of Western European colonialism and its influence?

• The spread of general purpose money; the
  development of the world system.

• All contemporary cultures have in some
  way been influenced by Western European
  Colonialism.

The World System Theory

A term coined by Immanuel Wallerstein

Societies that make up the core benefit, while societies that make up the periphery are exploited

The core

Where the dominant group resides

The periphery

Where the subaltern (subordinate) group resides

The core and the periphery

The core exploits the periphery, forcing slavery and other forms of coerced labor on the periphery and using that labor to extract resources from the periphery for the benefit of the core

What fueled Western European Colonialism?

• Gold (a desire for monetary wealth)

• God (A desire to spread (force) religion (mostly forms of Christianity)

• Glory (A hunger for power)