A Theme in African Colonialism
The people of Africa are reminded every day of the atrocities that have resulted from previous European colonization. Most African countries are still filled with corruption, poverty and are basically in a state of chaos. European colonization has made a permanent impact on African culture and their way of life. Multiple reasons led to colonization, including discoveries of abundant natural resources, urge to spread religion, and overall their crave for power. All but two countries were colonized by Europeans, they were Liberia and Ethiopia. Ethiopia for religious purposes and Liberia because they had somewhat of a sufficient government already in place. Some of the immediate effects of European colonization were the groupings or separation of native African groups, extraction of raw materials, and exploitation for the slave trades. African colonies were often granted independence when the Europeans could not control or afford to handle the colonies; as a result the Africans were often left without any plans for establishing economic, social, or political stability.
Olusegun Obasanjo (with Jimmy Carter, cropped vers...
Jimmy Carter with Lt. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo of Ni...
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (right) es...It was following World War II when the African people began gaining independence from Europeans countries. Countries including Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, and Belgium began extracting their men out of Africa, for obvious reasons. They had just participated in a great war and were for the most part financially unstable. They also could not afford the man power it took to govern Africa. So they left without giving the Africans any sense of how to govern their own country. They had no reason to help the Africans set up government or create stability since they could no longer benefit from them. As a result most African countries attempted to elect officials, but having no prior political education or experience they essentially vulnerable. In turn they relied on their military for...