Imperialism (Fieldhouse and Young Parts 2 and 3)

There were several things which stood out to me as I did these readings.

The economic objection to imperialism stands out to me because I don’t really see that the colonies were as profitable as they were intended to be. Particularly when you consider the costs of wars to keep the colonies and protect their interests, they were really quite expensive to maintain.

The moral objections are the most appealing to me because they make the most sense to me. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that people can look at other groups and view themselves as superior. While many claimed to be establishing colonies to protect the people and spread Christianity… but this “moral duty” was not exactly the lily white as it was painted by some. Another reason for this objection is the fact that the morals being pushed on the colonies are European morals. This section most stood out to me because I have currently been studying the history of human rights. All people are entitled to certain rights and no matter how you look at it; imperialism took those rights away from many people.

One intriguing element of this study was the relative success of settler colonies. For one reason or others the colonies of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada were relatively more successful at becoming active in the global trading community.

Another element of this reading that stood out to me was that the negative implications of imperialism were not necessary. For this to occur, the imperialist nations would have to recognize the contributions to the global economy of their colonies and see these people as equals. I wonder what the world would be like today if rather than exploiting the natural resources and people of the “third world” if the countries had chosen to invest and improve the resources there for the betterment of the global community rather than for their financial benefit.

As we go into the future, what would the long term impact be if we were to begin to invest in these countries and make attempts to develop what was underdeveloped under imperialism.