African American Imperialism Essay

Colonial rule caused a breakdown in traditional African rule. This breakdown happened over time and for several reasons. The French and European powers wanted more direct control of their colonies during the 18th and 19th centuries than they did in the 15th and 16th centuries. This new period of Imperialism, led to the Europeans demanding more power over the political, economic, and social lives of all people. The Europeans looked at the Africans as not being able to handle the complex ideals of running a country. They wanted to make the land of Africa to have an economy that benefitted the European economy. They wanted the people already there to begin to follow their customs and traditions. The Europeans had set goals and polices to establishing new colonies. They use four techniques of colony control; colony, protectorate, sphere of influence, and economic imperialism. Sometimes they used a combination of these to gain control of an area. These were four forms of imperialism. Colony control is when a country or area is governed internally by a foreign power. Protectorate is the area with its own internal government but under the control of an outside power. Sphere of influence is an area where an outside power claims exclusive investment or
It benefited them but there were more negative effects. There was a positive effect because colonialism reduced local warfare. People started to get more involved and soon new schools and hospitals were getting built. Also, African values started to be valued and the economy started to grow. On the other hand there were negative side effects. This included Africans losing their independence. Men started to be forced to leave their villages and find a way to support their family. The African continent became divided. Colonial rule caused a break down in tradition because they were forced out of their independence and turned to be the