Effects Of Colonialism On Filipino Society

To understand the lingering effects of colonialism on Filipino society, it would be helpful for one to have an idea of the state of the society before colonial influences. Previous to the arrival of Spanish conquistadors, Filipinos lived in smaller communities scattered around the island, which traded and interacted with each other, but were not completely unified and cohesive (Schirmer 1). These smaller provinces were often led by specific clans and families. In fact, the Philippines has a “history of strong political families across generations” (Niu 92) which sets it apart from many other countries in the region. Before the Philippine’s version of an elite class of well-connected political families was established in a more modern time, …show more content…
On the cusp of the 20th century, the Philippines claimed independence from the Spanish, but was later annexed by the United States the following year, due to a war agreement with Spain. While the Philippines was under U.S occupation, the Japanese attacked and took over large parts of the country during World War 2 and eventually repelled the U.S military forces, claiming ownership over the country until 1945 when the war ended and the United states regained control of the Filipino military, and economic and political policy through proxy (Schrimer xvii), though the Philippines officially declared independence in …show more content…
The election was heavily rigged in such a way that Marcos won once again. After several years, the United States intervened in his imprisonment and Benigno and his wife, Corazon Aquino, were exiled to the U.S. Years later, they returned to the Philippines, and Benigno was assassinated upon arrival at the airport. Corazon Aquino then took over his position as prominent figure of opposition to the Marcos regime, collaborating with other influential groups and figures to stage a direct opposition to Marcos. With tension and force building, Marcos made the decision to hold a “snap” election; while what was later determined to be fraud and corruption led to Marcos being declared the official victor, the people continued to protest and Aquino and her supporters declared Aquino the winner. External pressure from the Regan administration, which had previously been a friend to Marcos, eventually led him to concede the position to Aquino and move his family to the United States. Corazon Aquino became the President of the Philippines and served the constitutionally-limited single term: from 1986 to