Olivier Lustin
Journal #2 Reflection
Colonialism has had a profound effect on poverty. Even before the policy was enacted, there was already poverty, but it was not nearly as bad. Some, if not most, cases of poverty were caused by the great Scramble for Africa caused by the great European powers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to this age of new imperialism, families that were previously together were sometimes torn apart because of the imaginary boundaries imposed on them by feuding imperialistic powers such as France, Italy, Spain, Great Britain and Portugal. However, the Great Powers did not stop there. They also forced the local economies to be turned into mercantilism economies. With families divided …show more content…
After independence, the countries were often left to their own devices without any form of help or aid. To this day, we see several groups fighting all across Africa. Possibly, one of the worst cases would be the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. Thousands of Rwandans who were classified as Tutsi, under the German and Belgium colonial rule were killed by the Hutus. The Tutsi were placed into more important administrative roles because of how they looked. When the Belgians left, they left a hatred between the two groups. Eventually later, there would be a civil war between Tutsi refugees and the Rwandan government that would turn into a genocide. This could be a result of the colonial government giving preference to one group of people over another. The underrepresented would bristle under this government until the European powers left and after years of loathing simmering under the lid, the pot had exploded. Recently, the nation of Sudan had split into two, South Sudan and Sudan. Still, the Western powers are not content with what they did in the past, and deposed of Muammar Gaddafi, which created a power vacuum in Libya, which is now being contested between various groups and a major terrorist group. The current day Africa is as bad, if not worse, than colonial
Journal #2 Reflection
Colonialism has had a profound effect on poverty. Even before the policy was enacted, there was already poverty, but it was not nearly as bad. Some, if not most, cases of poverty were caused by the great Scramble for Africa caused by the great European powers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to this age of new imperialism, families that were previously together were sometimes torn apart because of the imaginary boundaries imposed on them by feuding imperialistic powers such as France, Italy, Spain, Great Britain and Portugal. However, the Great Powers did not stop there. They also forced the local economies to be turned into mercantilism economies. With families divided …show more content…
After independence, the countries were often left to their own devices without any form of help or aid. To this day, we see several groups fighting all across Africa. Possibly, one of the worst cases would be the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. Thousands of Rwandans who were classified as Tutsi, under the German and Belgium colonial rule were killed by the Hutus. The Tutsi were placed into more important administrative roles because of how they looked. When the Belgians left, they left a hatred between the two groups. Eventually later, there would be a civil war between Tutsi refugees and the Rwandan government that would turn into a genocide. This could be a result of the colonial government giving preference to one group of people over another. The underrepresented would bristle under this government until the European powers left and after years of loathing simmering under the lid, the pot had exploded. Recently, the nation of Sudan had split into two, South Sudan and Sudan. Still, the Western powers are not content with what they did in the past, and deposed of Muammar Gaddafi, which created a power vacuum in Libya, which is now being contested between various groups and a major terrorist group. The current day Africa is as bad, if not worse, than colonial