One and a Half Cheers for Colonialism

19th century colonialism has long been seen by much of the world today as an evil, a period in history that should never again repeated, but in reality, it was not all that unique or terrible. True enough, the harshness and cruelty experienced by the colonized was atrocious and no reason or argument can ever justify such treatment of any human being. But to single out and criticize only the West or even demand reparations for their behavior towards the “third world” would be unfair. Though perhaps not always on as grand a scale, civilizations have been invading, conquering, and subjugating other civilizations since the ancient times and they are not justified in their actions either. But what is done is done and no matter how much people lash back at the West, the suffering cannot be undone, so it is better now to focus on making the best of 19th century colonialism. That is not to say that those responsible should not be punished, but that violence against the West in the name of revenge is not the solution. Instead, both the “colonized” and the “colonizers” should work together to expand and improve the benefits brought on by colonialism. The colonists brought with them modern technology, organized infrastructure, and most importantly the ideas of civil rights. The latter was a product of the West and without its introduction it may not have developed on its own for a very long time. Ironically, opening the door to colonization also inadvertently opened the door to the ideas of civil rights, which then influenced the people of the colonies to fight for those rights that their descendents now enjoy. Either argument regarding colonialism cannot win over the other, so unlike D’Souza, I will only give one and a half cheers for colonialism.