Neo-Colonialism in Africa. The Most Dangerous Form of Imperialism?

Project Report , 2020 , 18 Pages , Grade: 1,0

History - Africa

This paper reviews the after-colonial relationship between African countries and more developed states and discusses whether Africa is trapped in imperialism, more precisely in neo-colonialism. To answer this question, I took a look into the characteristics of neo-colonialism and how more developed states influence Africa, for instance, its decision-making. Finally, I examined the effects of neo-colonialism and how it shapes our impression of Africa.

Colonialism in Africa already started back in the time when Arabs invaded Africa in the 7th century, but they mostly stayed in the northern parts of the said continent, above the Sahara. By bringing in the religion Islam, the Arabs had major influences on the African continent .

Moreover, through building trading posts at the eastern coast of Africa, they connected the continent to the Indian Ocean Trading Complex, which stretched from China, over India, to Africa. African natural resources, and even slaves, were exported and Indian textiles were imported .

Table of Contents

Abstract

Introduction

1. What is Neo-colonialism?

2. Is Neo-colonialism the most dangerous Stage of imperialism?

3. The Effects of Neo-colonialism

Conclusion

References

Abstract

This paper reviews the after-colonial relationship between African countries and more developed states and discusses whether Africa is trapped in imperialism, more precisely in neo-colonialism.

To answer this question, I took a look into the characteristics of neo-colonialism and how more developed states influence Africa, for instance, its decision-making. Finally, I examined the effects of neo-colonialism and how it shapes our impression of Africa.

This study concludes that Africa is subject to neo-colonialism. Results also revealed that Africa is still suffering from imperialism and that neo-colonialism is the most dangerous stage of imperialism. Finally, the study describes that neo-colonialism mainly happens under the guise of other north-south co-operations, more specifically, as economic aid and limited wars.

From a social perspective, this study emphasizes the need to fight inequalities between victims of neo-colonialism and imperialists and the mindset that there are superior and inferior peoples.

Introduction

Colonialism in Africa already started back in the time when Arabs invaded Africa in the 7th century, but they mostly stayed in the northern parts of the said continent, above the Sahara. By bringing in the religion Islam, the Arabs had major influences on the African continent¹. Moreover, through building trading posts at the eastern coast of Africa, they connected the continent to the Indian Ocean Trading Complex, which stretched from China, over India, to Africa. African natural resources, and even slaves, were exported and Indian textiles were imported².

In the 15th century, the Europeans established an economic relationship with Africa, which was the Atlantic Triangular Trade. They stayed at the coasts of Africa and purchased slaves who were caught by other Africans in the continent’s interior. The slaves were transported to the colonies in North America and the Europeans delivered manufactured products to the Africans until the slave trade was abolished in the 19th century³.

Till the second half of the 19th century, major parts of Africa remained unknown to the Europeans, therefore they called it the Dark Continent. There were only a few European colonies at the coastline of Africa, which mostly served as service stations for the colonies in Asia, such as the Dutch base Table Bay at the southern tip of Africa⁴. This was changed during the Berlin West Africa Conference, also called Congo Conference, in which the most influential European powers met and divided Africa among one another, in Berlin in 1885. After the conference, the Europeans went to Africa to turn the boundaries on their maps into frontiers on the ground, separating tribes and families and mixing hostile ethnic groups⁵. Using conquest, forced labour, taxation and monetization, the Europeans were able to exploit Africa’s rich resources and to turn Africa into a consumer market for the products manufactured in Europe⁶.

However, as a result of the two world wars, nationalist movements in Africa and the emergence of new superpowers, the Europeans were forced to grant independence to their African colonies. But, the process of decolonization stretched over a long period of time and it differed from place to place. In some colonies, like in Algeria, the changes were accompanied by violence and war, but there were also other African countries that gained their independence peacefully, for example, Ghana⁷.

Till today, the borders inside Africa are the same artificial boundaries that were drawn in 1885 and completely bypass the local ethnic structures. Furthermore, the young African countries still faced many problems after becoming independent, such as dictatorships and civil wars, for example Idi Amin, the Butcher of Uganda, and the Ugandan Civil War from 1982 to 1986. Due to the fact that industrialization in Africa was discouraged during the time of colonialism, African countries still have to rely on imports and the aids of foreign donors⁸. Therefore, many African scholars and former leaders of nationalist movements, such as Kwame Nkrumah, claim that Africa is still subject to imperialism. More precisely, it is said that Africa is subject to neo-colonialism⁹. But is that true?

In order to examine the validity this thesis, I will firstly explain what neo-colonialism is. This section deals with the definition of neo-colonialism and some differences and similarities between it and colonialism. Besides these, I will take a look at reason, which led to neo-colonialism. Afterwards, in the second section, I will explore if neo-colonialism is rightfully labeled to be the “most dangerous stage of imperialism”. While doing so, I will explore some methods which imperialists make use of to dominate neo-colonialist states. Finally, in the last section, the effects of neo-colonialism will be highlighted.

1. What is Neo-colonialism?

As already mentioned in the introduction, one after another, all colonies in Africa became independent. Once colonies are independent, it is hardly possible to turn them back into a stage of colonial oppression. Thus, new instruments were needed to exercise power over those territories. This new apparatus is what we call nowadays neo-colonialism. Neo-colonialism can be defined as the use of political and economic pressures by more developed nations, especially former colonial powers, to dominate and control less developed countries, which are often the former colonies. In that sense, neo-colonialism in Africa is the domination of African countries by more powerful states. These external forces make use of new methods that were not applied by the former imperial empires¹⁰. They are called imperialists or neo-colonialists whereas countries that are dominated by them are termed neo-colonialist states¹¹.

The question is, what is the difference between colonialism and neo-colonialism? The most straightforward contrast is that colonialism took place in the past and had its peak in Africa in the 19th and 20th century. On the other hand, neo-colonialism in Africa was formed after African colonies were liberated and is still going on today. Additionally, the leading colonial powers in the past were the Europeans. From 1492 to 1914, roughly more than 80% of the world was either conquered or colonized by them¹². As a consequence of the world wars, the former colonial rulers had been weakened. Consequently, the USA rose and became one of the leading imperial powers, that are active in Africa today. In addition to the Americans, in the course of the time, China became more and more active on the imperial stage¹³. Furthermore, during colonialism, a physical occupation of the territory by the colonizers was needed, whereas in neo-colonialism, the imperialists do not have to be physically present in the neo-colonialist state. Moreover, in the book Neo-Colonialism the Last Stage of Imperialism Nkrumah claims that “for those who practice [neo-colonialism], it means power without responsibility and for those who suffer from it, it means exploitation without redress”¹⁴. Contrary to that, in the days of colonialism, the colonizers were, at least, responsible for their actions and had to justify them. In the Charter of the United Nations, it says that “Members of the United Nations which have or assume responsibilities for the administration of territories whose peoples have not yet attained a full measure of self-government […] to ensure, with due respect for the culture of the peoples concerned, their political, economic, social, and educational advancement, their just treatment, and their protection against abuses […]”¹⁵.

However, there are also similarities that are important to be mentioned. One of the most basic core ideas of both concepts is that the victim’s natural resources are exploited by the imperialists. When in Europe the pneumatic tyre appeared on the market, the demand for Congolese rubber increased. Because of this and its richness in other natural resources, Congo was heavily exploited by the Europeans in the 19th and 20th century¹⁶. Today, similar to the past, Congo is exploited, but our needs, in the more developed parts of the world, have changed. Now, there are minerals, for instance, coltan, which are essential parts of our mobile phones. Miners in Africa dig for precious minerals under harsh conditions. Even though these are expensive, they are paid poorly¹⁷. Besides exploiting Africa’s resources, as well in the past and today, the neo-colonialist country became a consumer market for the imperialists. It even started during the Atlantic Triangular Trade when the Europeans sold guns to the Africans¹⁸. In 2018, the USA exported vehicles at a value of approximately $2.3 billion and aircraft at a value of approximatly $2.2 billion to Africa¹⁹. Moreover, in the past, the colonies were forced to follow their colonizers in economic and political issues. The decisions were often even directed by the colonialists. Nowadays, the less developed countries have to rely on the imperial powers, to whom their political and economic administration is usually linked²⁰. France is holding about $500 billion of its former African colonies in its central bank and that money is controlled by the French Treasury. Interestingly, the African countries are allowed to access only 15% of their own money. If more is needed, it must be borrowed from the remaining 85% of their own money at commercial rates. However, they can only borrow a limited amount of money. Only 20% of the previous year’s public revenue can be accessed²¹.

After having defined neo-colonialism and taken a look at the contrasts and similarities of colonialism and neo-colonialism, now, I will continue examining the reasons, which led to neo-colonialism.

One reason for the emergence of neo-colonialism was the weak position of the former imperial powers after the wars, especially after the Second World War. Moreover, there were rising national liberation movements and anti-colonial sentiments, both in Europe and in Africa. All of these made it difficult for the Europeans to keep their traditional empires and colonies. Thus, several colonies became independent and turned into sovereign states after the war. However, the former colonial powers understood quickly that it is still necessary for them to exploit their former colonies. Hence, colonialism turned into neo-colonialism. Additionally, newborn states remained dependent on the developed countries. Due to the fact that they were not able to ensure economic development in their own countries, the former colonies still had to sell their raw materials to the former colonial powers and purchase their manufactured products since they were not able to produce these products on their own. But why were the new states weak in the economic development? The reason is that, during colonialism, the African continent was divided into several small countries. After decolonizing, they were almost not able to run on their own. Therefore, they had to rely on the imperial powers and became subjects to neo-colonialism. Furthermore, in the post-war period, when the Cold War emerged, many new states decided to join one of the two power blocks to receive economic assistance and military equipment, even though that meant that their policies would have been controlled. The USA and USSR, which were the leaders of these two power blocks, wanted to expand their influences. Hence, they decided to exploit the economic needs of the less developed states by using methods, such as economic aid and the supply of arms, and linked the economy and policies of their less developed allies to their own systems²².

Now that I have discussed the definition of neo-colonialism, the similarities and differences between neo-colonialism and colonialism and finally the reasons which led to neo-colonialism, in the next section, I will examine if neo-colonialism is rightfully termed to be the “most dangerous stage of imperialism”. While doing so, I will introduce some methods which are often made use of by imperialists to dominate neo-colonialist states.

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¹ M.E. Chamberlain, The Scramble for Africa (USA, New York: Routledge, 2013) p. 10

² M.E. Chamberlain, The Scramble for Africa (USA, New York: Routledge, 2013) p. 13

³ M.E. Chamberlain, The Scramble for Africa (USA, New York: Routledge, 2013) p. 14

⁴ M.E. Chamberlain, The Scramble for Africa (USA, New York: Routledge, 2013) p. 15

⁵ Bismarck und der Kolonialismus; https://m.bpb.de/apuz/202989/bismarck-und-der-kolonialismus; March 20, 2015; last time checked: May 23th, 2020

⁶ Stephen Ocheni, Basil C. Nwankwo (2012). Analysis of Colonialism and Its Impact in Africa. Cross-Cultural Communication, pp. 46 - 54

⁷ Factors for the Growth of African Nationalism; https://myelimu.com/thread-factors-for-the-growth-of-african-nationalism; last time checked: May 23th, 2020

⁸ David Birmingham, The decolonization of Africa – instructions to history (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, London: UCL PRESS, 1995) pp. 1 - 7

⁹ Kwame Nkrumah, NEO-Colonialism – The Last Stage of Imperialism (USA: INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS CO., INC., 1996) pp. XI - XX

¹⁰ Kwame Nkrumah, NEO-Colonialism – The Last Stage of Imperialism (USA: INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS CO., INC., 1996) p. XI

¹¹ Kwame Nkrumah, NEO-Colonialism – The Last Stage of Imperialism (USA: INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS CO., INC., 1996) p. XIV, l. 30

¹² Why did Western Europe Dominate the Globe; https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/why-did-western-europe-dominate-globe-47696; September 1st, 2015; last time checked: May 23th, 2020

¹³ M. Langan, Neo-Colonialism and the Poverty of ‘Development’ in Africa, Contemporary African Political Economy, Emerging Powers and Neo-Colonialism in Africa (Switzerland, Cham: Springer International Publishing AG) p. 89

¹⁴ Kwame Nkrumah, NEO-Colonialism – The Last Stage of Imperialism (USA: INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS CO., INC., 1996) p. XI

¹⁵ Charter of the United Nations, Chapter XI: Declaration Regarding non-self-governing Territories, Article 73; signed on October 24th, 1945

¹⁶ DR Congo: Cursed by its natural wealth; https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24396390; October 9th, 2013; last time checked: May 25th , 2020

¹⁷ EXCLUSIVE Picks, pans and bare hands: How miners in the heart of Africa toil in terrible conditions to extract the rare minerals that power your iPhone; https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3280872/iPhone-mineral-miners-Africa-use-bare-hands-coltan.html; April 5th , 2017; last time checked: May 25th , 2020

¹⁸ M.E. Chamberlain, The Scramble for Africa (USA, New York: Routledge, 2013) p. 14

¹⁹ Office of the United States Trade Representative; Executive Office of the President; Africa; https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/africa; last time checked: May 31st, 2020

²⁰ Kwame Nkrumah, NEO-Colonialism – The Last Stage of Imperialism (USA: INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS CO., INC., 1996) p. XIII

²¹ France still robbing its 'former' African colonies; https://www.pambazuka.org/governance/france-still-robbing-its-former-african-colonies; last time checked: May 31st, 2020

²² Top 6 Reasons of Emergence of Neo-Colonialism; www.yourarticlelibrary.com/international-politics/top-6-reasons-of-emergence-of-neo-colonialism/48500; last time checked: May 30th , 2020

• Grade: 1,0
• Author: Sadegh Khalili Tehrani (Author)
• Publication Year: 2020
• Pages: 18
• Catalog Number: V1119295
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346492111
• Language: English
• Tags: neo-colonialism, africa, most, dangerous, form, imperialism