Colonization and Modern Day problems of Third World Countries
by Michael Koenecke
Colonization. This term is used by political scientists to describe what occurred when western powers, mainly from Europe such as (England, France, Spain, etc.) went to Asia, Africa, South America, and other parts of the third world. Once there, these western powers formed colonies and set up economic systems which were backed by the Western economy and way of life. However, the problem occurred when these colonized countries received their independence and no longer received the backing of the mother country, a problem which was both political and economic.
During the age of imperialism the most powerful countries in the world sought out to conquer land and gain resources in far off lands. They went to places such as Asia, Africa, and South America and carved out territories for themselves. However these countries or territories were set up without the regard of the natives to these militarily weaker lands. Once there, these western powers set up economic, political, and social systems to keep their newly conquered lands running properly.
Meanwhile, Western powers found resources in their colonies which they deemed valuable and exported them back to the West. This in itself left these newly formed countries dependent on the outside world for income.
The problem was magnified once decolonization occurred. Once the Western powers pulled out of these colonized countries they were left on their own to fend for themselves in the global market. Anyone familiar with international politics and economics would know that this proved far too difficult for most of these newly-born nations.
One of the main reasons this problem occurred was because when these colonies boundaries were set up the western powers disregarded the people who had already been living there. Tribal, ethic, and religious groups were thrown together to live under the same territory, especially in Africa were lines were drawn almost at random, meanwhile, these groups didn’t want to be fenced in together to begin with. This relationship between different groups worked during the time of Western occupation because the Western countries forced its people to live with one another, since the Western colonizers had powerful militaries and administrative bodies to back themselves up with. Any political power held in the colonies was subject to the authority of the central government of the empire.
Once the western powers pulled out of the colonized countries and independence was granted, these countries had to create governments of their own. However with so many different and unique groups living under one country, coming to peace with one another turned out to be difficult. Each group was afraid of being left out of power in the new government and none of the groups trusted each other. It turned out to be a battle over who could control the power in third world countries.
Another problem that existed is that as the empires fell apart, they manipulated the fledgling political systems of the new states in order to put their favored ethnic groups into power. This way the colonial powers would be able to protect their interests in these new nations.
So what should be done to solve the political and economic problems in these third world countries? Some have pointed fingers at who should be responsible for reviving these countries. Some say it should come from the state within and others say it should come from a world effort.
For those who say the state should step up, many countries in the Third World have problems getting their societies in a position to be both politically and economically stable. Some have also debated over which should come first: political stability or economic stability?
However, at the root of both problems lies education. The state governments are responsible to educate their people not just on a college level but also on a basic level. Most people in these underdeveloped countries need a basic education in order to advance, as is also the case in the developed world. Once people in the Third World become educated they can form stable political governments which can then concentrate on economic growth. Others have argued otherwise. It is up to the state in these countries to provide human resources such as food, water, sanitation, education, and so forth, to their people. Once these resources are put in place most people in these countries won’t have to worry about basic living necessities and they can then concentrate on broader issues such as the development of their economy.
Others have said the world effort has not been enough. However millions of dollars are sent to these Third World countries a year and hundreds of programs and organizations are in place. The problem therefore lies in implementation and corruption. There has to be more accountability for funds given to third world countries to ensure officials aren’t putting the money in their own pockets.
In conclusion these third world countries must find a way to develop themselves and make a place for themselves in the world economy. Whatever action they take they have to stop blaming their shortcomings on colonization and start looking forward, accepting the evils of colonization as another test to their character in an effort that, if successful, will make these nations merit respect. Competing groups must come to agreements with one another so that basic human needs can be provided. Hopefully once this occurs political and economic prosperity will follow soon after.
Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonisation
The Challenge Of Third World Development by Howard Handleman
