Consequences of Colonialism

Consequences of Colonialism:

The People in Asia and Africa were economically exploited by the Europeans. The people in the colonies lost their independence. Their economic exploitation pushed them into poverty.

At the same time, we may also note some constructive things that happened during the colonial period. A new awareness emerged in the political, social, economic, and educational fields. Common people became conscious of democratic systems and its inherent modern values like liberty, equality, and fraternity. They got introduced to principles like administration based on a fundamental legal system, the judicial system, availability of education to all. People became aware of the need to shoulder the responsibility of solving their problems, which eventually led to the independence movements in many colonies.

Colonial governments invested in infrastructure and trade and disseminated medical and technological knowledge. In some cases, they encouraged literacy, the adoption of Western human rights standards, and sowed the seeds for democratic institutions and systems of government. Some former colonies, like Ghana, experienced a rise in nutrition and health with colonial rule, and colonial European settlement has been linked to some development gains.

However, coercion and forced assimilation often accompanied those gains, and scholars still debate colonialism’s many legacies. Colonialism’s impacts include environmental degradation, the spread of disease, economic instability, ethnic rivalries, and human rights violations - issues that can long outlast one group’s colonial rule.