Colonism notes

MOORE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

IBUS 544: Colonialism

  • Introductions

  • Schedule of topics and brainstorming

  • Introductory readings

Historical Context of Colonialism

  • Colonialism was not the initial point of European interests in Africa.

    • Slavery was a major European business before the colonization period.

    • Portuguese traders initiated sea exploration around 1300s, traveling south of modern-day Morocco around 1430.

      • Sought trade routes for commodities like silk and spices.

      • Discovered a new commodity: slaves.

      • Atlantic Slave Trade: Began around 1520s and lasted until late 1860s.

      • Approximately 12.5 million enslaved individuals were taken from Africa.

      • Roughly 10.7 million were transported to the Americas.

Slavery's Societal Impact

  • Origins of Mistrust:

    • Initial slave capturing involved organized state raids and warfare.

    • As trade developed, insecurity led individuals to betray others (friends/family) through kidnapping and deceit.

    • Notable references:

    • Sigismund Wilhelm Koelle (1854)

    • P. E. H. Hair (1965)

    • Charles Piot (1996)

Establishment of Settlements

  • The settlement at present-day Cape Town was established as a supply station.

    • The Company Gardens in Cape Town became a popular attraction.

    • The Dutch East India Company was the first to establish a settlement in Southern Africa (1652).

The Colonial Era

  • Colonial Period Duration: Less than a century, primarily focused on the era post-1884.

    • Congress of Berlin (1884): A pivotal moment that initiated the Scramble for Africa.

    • Organization of African Unity (OAU): Played a crucial role in post-colonial independence movements beginning in the early 1960s.

    • Although significant events predated 1884, they are only briefly covered in class.

Map of Colonial Division

  • Illustration and description of Africa as divided by colonizing powers around 1914.

    • Key factions include:

    • Portuguese

    • Spanish

    • British

    • French

    • Belgian

    • German

    • Italian

  • Colonial Influence: Present on the map as of 1878.

Congress of Berlin Insights

  • Purpose: European powers convened to divide African territory.

    • Key inquiries include:

    • What were the motivations for colonization?

    • Why was cooperation favored over competition?

    • Agreements regarding territorial management and the Principle of Effective Occupation.

  • Investigates how colonial borders (which persist today) were drawn and their implications.

Motivations for Colonialism

Economic Interests

  • Sources of raw materials essential for the Industrial Revolution:

    • Cash crops: Cotton (for clothing), cocoa, coffee, rubber (used in tires), palm oil (serves as an industrial lubricant).

    • Minerals such as gold and silver, ivory, etc.

  • Colonies served as markets for surplus manufactured goods and helped alleviate unemployment in Europe by purchasing goods from those colonies.

    • Colonies were integrated into a supply chain, ensuring controlled volume, quality, and pricing.

  • Colonialism effectively monetized Africa for the colonial powers, creating cash economies and dismantling pre-existing subsistence economies.

Political and Security Interests

  • Fierce competition for global influence encouraged colonization.

    • Great Britain: Established as a leading colonial power with territories in India, Australia, and large portions of Africa including Egypt.

    • The Suez Canal (constructed 1859-1869) enhanced security and operational efficiency for shipping from colonies, linking economic interests.

    • France aimed to restore its prestige after defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1871).

Social and Cultural Interests

  • The “civilizing mission” is frequently cited but is often criticized as a façade for underlying racism and cultural superiority claims.

    • Beliefs emerged about the superiority of European culture, leading to settler tensions in colonies.

    • Role of Missionaries: Played an active role rather than being marginal figures, positioning European values against local customs.

    • Emigration to settler colonies arose as a solution for overpopulation in Europe, especially in countries like Germany and Italy.

Chartered Companies and Treaties

  • Chartered Companies: Private corporations granted official permissions by home governments for specific geographic regions.

    • Powers included resource extraction, indigenous governance, and raising militias.

  • Treaties: Often conducted with indigenous leaders involved trickery and misleading terms.

    • Commonly, treaties were conducted in European languages that were poorly understood, often misinterpreted as alliances.

    • Force played a significant role in treaty enforcement and local governance systems, highlighting the disparities in military power.

Conquest Dynamics

  • Reference to a period poem:

    • “Whatever happens, we have the Maxim gun and they have not.” This reflects the technological dominance that European colonizers had over indigenous populations.

Governance and Development Models

  • Different governance strategies displayed variances in their approach to colonial rule:

    • British Model: Indirect rule through local groups, decentralizing governance.

    • French Model: Direct administration aimed at assimilating locals into French culture.

    • Portuguese and Belgian: Known for their oppressive governance styles leading to repression.

  • Post-colonial impacts: British and French investments in infrastructure contrasted with Belgian and Portuguese legacies of minimal support, causing instability.

British Legacy

  • Settler colonies maintained decentralized governance, working through local groups to shape political institutions.

  • Emphasis on stability, but this led to tribal competition.

  • Substantial investments in infrastructure like roads and railways yielded a well-prepared elite to govern post-independence.

French Legacy

  • A centralized administration managed directly by relocating French citizens.

  • Strove for integration into French governance structures with a potential for citizenship.

  • Efforts created trained leaders but resulted in significant inequality post-independence with a single ruling party dominating.

Portuguese Legacy

  • Colonies: Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe characterized by severe repression.

    • None of the colonies allowed for local governance, producing a vacuum after independence due to lack of skills in managing the installed cash economy.

Belgian Congo

  • Infamous for the exploitative and brutal conditions under King Leopold II’s rule with a primary focus on rubber cultivation.

  • Minimal investment in governance or infrastructure, creating further challenges during the colonial period.

Liberia's Historical Context

  • Pre-Civil War scene involved significant relocation of free-born Africans from the U.S. and the Caribbean facilitated by the American Colonization Society.

  • The settlers, known as Americo-Liberians, clashed violently with indigenous groups.

    • Declared independence in 1847 and exploited for its resources such as iron ore and palm oil.

    • Firestone's establishment of the largest rubber plantation (1926) highlights the economic exploitation prevalent during colonialism.

Notable Colonial Abuses

  • Unique case of Namibia: Transitioned from a German colony post-WWI to administrative control by the League of Nations and then South Africa until 1990.

The 'White Man's Burden'

  • Poem by Rudyard Kipling:

    • Takes a critical lens on Western imperialism and foreign aid practices, trapping nations in cycles of dependency and portraying the burden of civilizing efforts.

Independence Movements of the 1960s

  • Factors contributing to national independence post-WWII explored.

  • The Organization of African Unity (OAU) created in 1963 aimed to support independence.

  • Notable independence leaders:

    • Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana)

    • Julius Nyerere (Tanzania)

    • Haile Selassie (Ethiopia)

  • Evaluation of the effectiveness and criticisms of the OAU’s policy of non-intervention in member states.

Legacy of Colonialism: Tribalism and Corruption

  • Examination of how colonial powers played ethnic groups against each other, leading to enduring tribal rivalries post-independence.

  • The legacy of underinvestment in local institutions created vacuums for governance.

  • Economic and educational inequalities during colonialism resulted in concentrated power among local elites post-independence.

Power Dynamics: Big Men and Patronage Politics

  • Dominance of one-party states leads to:

    • Weak state structures and reliance on informal operations.

    • Personal rule and decision-making by individuals.

  • Patronage systems that allocate state resources to selected groups without an ideological foundation.

  • Emergence of predatory regimes that exploit businesses through arbitrary regulations and practices.