Imperialism And Morality

Imperialism and the Morality of its Implication
Imperialism; what is it? It consists of exploitation, submission, manipulation, and influence of a powerful nation on another one that is not necessarily less powerful, but simply different. But none of these explain what it is. To put it simply, it is a shortcut. Instead of trying to understand and work with different cultures who are seen as inferior, wouldn’t it just be easier and simpler to forget that they are a nation like everyone else? By all means, this practice opened the door for some of the most influential times and inventions in history, but it also justified some of the most gruesome acts and events. This was most predominant on the continent of Africa. It was divided up between
In reality, there were cultures and societies that predated most of those European countries and cultures. These societies were treated with the same amount of respect and deference that one might expect from someone who ran into a pack of wild dogs. They were “tamed”; brought around to western views, and anyone who resisted was killed off, relocated, or used for slave labor in these territories that used to belong to them, where they built their own homes and raised children in accordance with their own cultural beliefs. Though it has led to many of the technologies and luxuries we enjoy today, imperialism calls into question the morality of human actions taken in the name of advancement, as seen through varying viewpoints of African Imperialism, namely that of the Imperialists and that of the Africans, in Joseph Conrad’s Heart
This, however seems to be downplayed in most western societies. In this way, the imperialists were able to justify their lack of anything resembling a moral code by seemingly ignoring the fact that the Africans were capable of the same feats and cultural achievements as themselves. The book, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe takes the reader into the life of a successful member of an African village to illustrate the fact that these African people had their own successful cultures and beliefs even though the western societies tried to change them whenever they could. “‘Every year,’ he said sadly, ‘before I put any crop in the earth, I sacrifice a cock to Ani, the owner of all land. It is the law of our fathers. I also kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku, the god of yams. I clear the bush and set fire to it when it is dry. I sow the yams when the first rain has fallen, and stake them when the young tendrils appear…,” (13). This is just one of the traditions that exists in the Igbo culture. It is its own culture and is not that much different from Christianity - the white man’s culture - which also historically involved