The Impact of Neocolonialism on the Social, Economic and Political Essay

The Impact of Neocolonialism on the Social, Economic and Political Life of Nigeria - Essay Example It can be derived from the report and the previous research conducted on the topic that British colonial rule in Nigeria from the second half of the nineteenth century to the early 1950s is associated with intense violence by the colonisers, with â€Å"the use of force to damage people and objects; the use of force to maintain control; and the use of humiliating words to generate violence reactions†. â€Å"Nigeria was a creation of British colonialism† states Wright, to fulfill British self-interest and political calculations. The country came into being only at the end of the nineteenth century, with British imperial policy drawing together different groups of people and ecological zones over the duration of several decades to form the country. In the first half of the twentieth century, imperial arrogance formulated and implemented policies promoting British rather than African advantage. These policies developed the social and political identities of the colony, and produced long-term problems which Nigeria struggled with after 1960 when the country gained independence from colonialism. Neocolonialism, the last stage of imperialism is defined as â€Å"control of the economic and development destiny by a former colonial area such as Africa by outside powers after independence†. Neocolonialism is illustrated by the British giving independence to Nigeria with one hand, while taking it away with the other. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to distinguish between Colonialism and Neocolonialism in Nigeria, and to assess the impact of neocolonialism on the social, economic and political life of the country. The Difference Between Colonialism and Neocolonialism in Nigeria Colonialism formed the root cause for political crisis by replacing pre-colonial political systems that worked for Africans with alien models. Ethnic conflicts that now destablise the continent were created by changing the geographical outlines in the map of Africa , bringing diverse people together without taking into consideration established borders. â€Å"The new nation states were artificial and many were too small to be viable† (Obadina 2000, p.1). Not even one-thirds of the countries in Africa have populations larger than 10 million, with Nigeria being a significant exception. African societies were divided into separate groups on the basis of western multi-party democracy imposed by colonial powers. The introduction of party politics by colonial administration fuelled the blaze of ethnic conflicts in Nigeria. The imposition of alien rule makes colonialism a dictatorial regime that did not allow people their right of self determination. Colonialism â€Å"brought death, pain and humiliation to millions of its victims† (Obadina 2000, p.2). Colonialism as a civilizing mission is only a myth, because Europe’s economic and political selfinterest drove the system. However, some useful acts carried out by colonial powers f or fulfilling their economic and administrative needs were the buidling of infrastructure such as railway for carrying export commodities, and undertaking the education of a few Africans to assist them in running the colonies. At the same time, beneficial contributions were not made by colonialism to any part of Africa. Significantly, economically stronger countries like Nigeria and Ghana were depleted of their infrastructure, leaving only a few railway lines, rudimentary communication and commuting systems and limited numbers of graduates. Although colonialism did not help Africa’s poor, the elites flourished as a result of the creation of opportunities by the linking of the continent to the western world. The emergence of neocolonialism with the end of British colonialism

Social and Economic Impacts of Globalization Term Paper

Social and Economic Impacts of Globalization - Term Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that in the past, most nations carried out their trade and other operations separately and within their boundaries. However, the development of globalization in recent decades has led to more, economic, social and political integration between nations. The author has rightly presented that globalization has brought with it various benefits to individual nations and communities in terms of economic growth and social development. However, it is evident that globalization has also caused various negative effects, especially to developing nations, for instance, social and economic inequality. This essay discusses that globalization refers to the free movement or transportation of goods, capital, and people whereas liberalization is the elimination or reduction of barriers to enhance free movement of these goods and capital. Due to the swift expansion that has occurred in trade and capital movements, globalization has led to both positive and ne gative impacts. The present research has identified that the main movers of the large increase in global trade and investment, which to most individuals happens to be the chief expression of globalization, have been the global accords to reduce trade restrictions and the instant reduction in the transportation costs, especially the costs of transporting data. These factors have led to the fragmentation or disintegration of industries, a new aspect of globalization.... In this case, some assert that globalization is a contemporary emerging phase while others deem that it has occurred for a long time. Other people argue that whether it occurred in the past or lately, the order and speed of global transformation is exceptional and necessitates an active restructuring of the global institutions of governance (Beall, 2002). To all countries that participate, globalization will continue to have great benefits to them. However, globalization creates pressures causing inequalities in some countries and the need for structural changes in all. In addition, globalization has left some nations more susceptible to the upsets that may occur externally. Therefore, globalization brings forth risk management challenges, which remains unaddressed (Duncan, 2000). Most countries lay the blame on globalization for causing a wide range of problems. Some of the adverse effects that have occurred due to globalization on the social welfare include social problems, which r ange from famine to floods, rural to urban migration leading to overcrowding in urban areas and from pollution to poverty. This means that when two or more countries join together, the social welfare of the two countries will be vulnerable to negative effects leading to decline in the social welfare of the country. For instance, relocation of most industries to the urban areas will cause most rural residents to migrate from the rural areas to the urban leading to overcrowding, pollution and poor disposition of the waste products. However, globalization has brought vital developmental successes. Some examples of these developmental successes include poverty reduction, better services, increasing