No Cheers For Colonialism

Colonialism or imperialism should not be praised. As seen in European history imperialism came about through the want of power and wealth. Many leaders and people said that through imperialism they wanted to diminish all the small states and make the bigger states even bigger and more powerful. I believe that the ideas presented by Dinesh D’Souza in the article “Two Cheers for Colonialism” are flawed.

The main problem with imperialism is that due to the Europeans want for major wealth and power, imperialism brought about a great wave of oppression. Western countries would colonize third world countries and completely diminish the culture of the colonies they colonized. Europeans would attempt to westernize and modernize these countries and many times veer far away from the traditions of the countries. Also, since Europeans colonized to gain more wealth, they used the people of the colonies to do their work. In many cases, the native people living in the lands the Europeans colonized became slaves to the Europeans. Who cares if the West did not become “rich and powerful” (Dinesh D’Souza) through colonial oppression? The point is, the West attempted to become rich and powerful through colonial oppression, that is the real problem.

Dinesh D’Souza fails to see the real problems imperialism created. Instead of looking at the immediate effects of colonization, D’Souza focuses on long term effects which do not give a good idea of how European colonization really damaged many states. D’Souza also tries to justify his points by saying European countries were not the first to colonize. Again who cares if they were not first to colonize, the fact that they did colonize in an extremely cruel way is the problem. To say “Two Cheers for Colonialism” is moronic when speaking about European colonialism.

I strongly believe than in analyzing the consequences of imperialism, many tend to shed light on the drawbacks while ignoring the benefits that have helped shape our world today. While I realize in many cases imperial governments have suspect moral frameworks and benefit unjustly from their presence overseas, the globalization sparked by early imperialism has improved lives everywhere in the long run when done in moderation. The initial effects in the colonized territory are often negative, as there is turmoil, confusion, and dissent among the natives that are being shown or forced into a new way of life. However, in the long run imperialism adds many things that we take for granted. Trade is helped, infrastructure is built, and cultures mesh over time. Exposure to the rest of the world stimulates new thoughts and ideas, and healthy competition makes everyone strive for something better. Without a significant European presence, much of the world would be far less developed than it is now. Roads were built, technology was introduced, and the lives of people living in developing countries would be very different today had imperialism never come about. Not only are there benefits in the developing countries, but within the imperial nation as well. Often there are natural resources in colonies, and this can aid the economy in a huge way. Colonizing new lands can be a way of asserting power and dominance on the world stage, and the competition of countries helps push innovation to new levels. In conclusion, while there are significant drawbacks to imperialism, there are also major benefits.