American Imperialism Negative Effects

According to sociologist Paula S. Rothenberg, “it is impossible to understand the world that we inhabit . . . without attending to the colonial past that has shaped it” (Rothenberg, pp.76). Beginning roughly in the late fifteenth century, European powers, such as Great Britain, France, Portugal, and Spain, gradually amassed global empires, with colonies and trading posts on multiple continents. Though some colonies were meant for European settlers, the majority were established for their access to natural resources and potential for crop cultivation. While the imperialist efforts of European empires allowed them to thrive politically and economically, this colonization, conversely, had significantly negative impacts on both the previously-colonized
Since manufacturing was primarily prohibited in the colonies, European empires processed and produced manufactured goods back in their mother countries. Mies argues that urban centers produced environments detrimental to human health, between the smoke and emissions from factories, the high populations in cities, and increases in homelessness. She claims, “The affluent society which in the midst of plenty of commodities lacks the fundamental necessities of life: clean air, pure water, healthy food, space, time and quiet” (Mies, pp.155). While life in the metropoles often isn’t as focused on as life in the colonies in discussions of colonialism, it is interesting to consider that life in the metropoles wasn’t completely
Mies states, “This is because just as one colony may, after much effort, attain what was considered the ultimate in ‘development’, the industrial centres themselves have already ‘progressed’ to a yet more ‘modern’ stage of development; ‘development’ here meaning technological progress” (Mies, pp.152). In other words, the lagging countries will never be able to catch up because of the fact that, while they are trying to catch up to the first-world countries, the first-world countries are simultaneously continuing to develop. Therefore, there will always be a widening gap between the two, unless the more advanced country, by some means, halts all progress until the underdeveloped country catches