Differences In The Impacts Of New Imperialism And Colonialism

Colonialism and new imperialism Name: Course: Date: Colonialism and New Imperialism The growth of most of the regions and some of the never ending wars that are present in the Middle East, Africa and East Asia, are relative to the experiences they have had with colonialism and new imperialism. These are two concepts that are constantly used by many scholars interchangeably. However, they are different and they have had different impacts. Across the African nations, East Asia and even in the Middle East the experiences were different. This paper evaluates the differences in the impacts of the elements of new imperialism and colonialism in the three regions relative to their similarities and differences. In the case of East Asia and Africa colonialism was systemized while the Middle East was more of new imperialism. Colonialism is an aspect that is associated with a country conquering another and ruling over is in way to make sure that the former is able to take advantage of the resources of the latter. New Imperialism on the other hand is associated with the element of creating an empire and then making efforts to expand their influence over a wider region. For example in this excerpt it is clear that Africa was colonized by Britain. ‘South Africa is my country in which I was born, the country of my forefathers. I regret to tell you this evening that we have no place to lay our heads. All the land was taken from us in the name of the Crown of Great Britain and the people were driven away from their ancestral homes which were turned into farms.’ (Josiah) According to Josiah, their land resources were taken by the British such that they do not have a place to lay their heads.[Josiah T. Gumede, African National Congress Against Imperialism (1927), ebook, n.d.] In the case of East Asia, of importance is China, which was struggling with the impact that the British had in the region. What is more interesting is the fact that, the British had established a stronghold in India which they would later use grab onto the rest of the region. This was the case with China where the British would use the India fertile lands to grow opium which they would then sell in China. The situation later escalated when number of addicts in China increased forcing Lin Wen-chung kung cheng-shu to write to the Queen Victoria to stop the trade. In a way to respond to the stubborn approach of the British, he also ordered that lands that were under opium be destroyed and instead food plants put on the farms. It was also established that money that would be found on those growing the opium would be confiscated. The Chinese felt that this was an evil they needed to eliminate it.[Excerpts from Fukuzawa Yukichi, “Good-Bye Asia” (1885), ebook, n.d.] [Lin Zexu, Letter To Queen Vi...