Imperialism Research Paper

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“I would say colonialism is a wonderful thing. It spread civilization to Africa. Before it they had no written language, no wheel as we know it, no schools, no hospitals, not even normal clothing.” -Ian Smith
The above quote by Ian Douglas Smith, a Rhodesian politician of British heritage who led the mostly white minority government that unilaterally declared independence from Great
Britain in 1965, aptly captures the distorted view that colonizers held towards the native cultures of colonized lands. Although Smith led the movement for Rhodesian independence, he did so under a government that represented the interests of people of European descent in the country and disregarded the native cultures as primitive,
This period is defined by European countries utilizing non-European, or Oriental, countries with low capital but abundant labor to meet the growing demands of the Industrial
Revolution and the developing capitalist economy. Thus, imperialism establishes a particular stage in capitalist development, and capitalism proves the distinguishing feature between colonialism and imperialism because “direct colonial rule is not necessary for imperialism in this sense because the economic (and social) relations of dependency and control ensure both captive labour as well as markets for European industry” (Loomba, 12).
In contrast to imperialism, colonialism “can be described as a relationship characterized by the unequal distribution of social, political, and generally, physical power” (King). In colonial situations, a dominant metropolitan center implants settlements in a distant territory, but

‘colonialism’ has developed a much broader connotation that extends beyond its denotation of a political structure since modern uses of the word also entail a prejudiced mindset towards nonEuropean people. In order to justify their complete economic exploitation of native peoples,
Europeans developed highly stereotyped, negative views of non-Europeans, labeling them
Like one of the free-range cattle herds on the Argentine pampas, which bear the mark of the branding iron, Speranza bore the seal of her lord and master” (58). Thus, Crusoe’s decision to implement European economic and governmental styles on the island evidence a traditional colonizer relationship.

Eventually, Crusoe’s relationship with the island changes yet again, and he begins anthropomorphizing the island into traditional European feminine roles, indicating an elevation in his thinking towards the island because, although he does not appreciate the island as the truly natural entity that it is, he grants it a human-like status that proves higher than a mere land to be conquered. Symbolically, he marks this change by stopping the water clock that previously timed his every action and ventures into a cave near the center of the island, which he considers
Speranza’s heart: “Now the cave had assumed a new significance for him. In his new life-the life which began when, putting aside his functions as governor...he stopped the water clock-Speranza was no longer a territory to be exploited, but a being, unquestionably feminine, toward whom he directed...new needs arising in his heart and flesh” (97). He begins to feel an