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Do imperial countries owe restitution to colonized nations? This is a question of great debate. I believe that imperial countries do not owe restitution to the nations they colonized. I will discuss this point in detail over the course of this paper.
To begin, “restitution” means “recompense for injury or loss” according to the Oxford Dictionary. Over the course of world history, societies have exercised domination over weaker areas of the world dating back to Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia.
Let’s start with some background information. “Imperialism,” according to our textbook in the Glossary and Pronunciation Key, is defined as a “term associated with the expansion of European powers and their conquest and colonization of African and Asian societies, mainly from the sixteenth through the nineteenth century” (T & E p.G-5). Imperial countries had great authority over many nations. Generally, imperialist countries believed their cultures were superior, and that they would bring value-adding improvements to society.
Colonial imperialism is what I’ll be focusing on today. It’s complete domination in all areas, political, economic, and socio-cultural. This form of imperialism is when the conquered area basically existed to benefit the imperialist control and had little to no independence or individual identity. In this era, the majority of Southeast Asia and Africa was colonized under European power. Imperialism brought a confrontation between many cultures. By the year 1900, the Western Hemisphere had control over the majority of the world. It created political problems and a new global economy.
In Imperialism Prezi states “At first it was about jingoistic attitudes at its core is dominance, be that formal or informal.” It is the very idea behind colonialism. Several countries in the world have practiced imperialism including France, Russia, England, The Netherlands, Spain, the United States, Japan, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and Belgium. The concept and term “imperialism” was introduced to the English language in the 1870s. Imperialism lasted from 1870-1914.
Imperial countries dominate the world and the economy (Spain, Britain, France, Netherlands). These countries are very important in the world, and their organizations such as “The United Nations”. There are some formerly colonized nations that do have powerful economies such as the United States, India, China, Canada, New Zealand, Argentina, Australia, etc. Although the majority of formerly colonized nations are poor and are not in the position to order restitution. The only example of being forced to pay restitution was Germany during World War 2. The Germans were defeated by their allies the Russians, British, and Americans. They enforced the issue and told the Germans they have two options. Pay restitution or face destruction, they chose the first option. Cecil Rhodes the former Prime Minister of the Cape Colony says “If you want to avoid civil war, you must become imperialists.”
The French have the largest colonial empire in Africa. 14 African countries today are forced to pay colonial tax to France for the “benefits” of slavery and colonization. In addition, their natural reserves are still held by France’s Central Bank, and they receive billions of dollars every year from African countries. The African countries do not have access to this money, they are France taxpayers but not French citizens and don’t have access to what their money helps pay for (public goods and services). French people are living off of African countries for over half a century. As for imperialism in Asia, there was a lot of it. The British completely took control of India, they had a political and cultural effect on China. Imperialism took place in portions of many other countries.
Trever Noah’s “Born a Crime” is a great example of British Imperialism in South Africa. The impact of imperialism was evident. When South Africa became imperialized the ancient culture of tribes and indigenous peoples were partially lost. The British wanted the coast of South Africa as a trading port as well as a strategic naval base. Diamonds were discovered in the 1860s and gold in the 1880s. Africans and Boers lost their lives in wars and resistance to the British. They lost their land and freedom having to work in mines and farms as slaves. However, imperialism increased trade in South Africa.
Do I believe imperial countries owe restitution to colonized nations? I don't think they owe compensation or restoration for what has been stolen from their land. It simply is not how the world works. It does not have a part in how countries operate. Humans have built governments for a clear purpose, the main goal is not morality. I’m not saying that imperialism is ethically correct, but It’s deeply ingrained in our society. Realistically someone needs to force them to pay restitution to the countries they ravaged. Otherwise, why would they? Imperialistic countries run the world. Which explains why many former colonized nations speak English fluently or have learned it in school as a second language. In many countries in West Africa, a European language is their official language such as English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
To some extent, imperialist countries have paid restitution. The United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have paid reparations and apologized to their native population. Some former colonial powers even accept many immigrants from their former colonies. These reparations aren’t perfect but it's progress. For others, when it came to colonies breaking away they were so anxious to be independent, reparations for past injustices weren’t at the top of the list. Many formerly colonized countries at the time needed their old imperial trading partners who bought their raw materials and remained on good terms.
Nations behave in accordance with their level of self-interest and power. The previous colonial empires still are strong, and their victims aren’t in a place to seek restitution. In order for former colonies to make this happen they have a mentality of “pay up or face the consequences” and in many cases, they don't have the strength to do this. Former colonizers are still benefiting from their former colonies today for monetary gain. It's a never-ending cycle that imperialistic countries still take advantage of today to get what they want. Imperialist countries have created trade routes that still exist today.
I believe that imperial countries do not owe restitution to the nations they colonized. Restitution is something that people need and want but doesn’t receive. Even on the off chance that a country is receiving funds for restitution it often is not going to the people who suffered such as discussed in France above.
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