The Big Cs: Conquest, Commerce, Colonization, and Conversion on the Course of History - Essay Example

The Big “C”S: Conquest, Commerce, Colonization, and Conversion on the of History. Commerce Commerce is known to be the exchange or of goods and services between people. Trade has evolved all the way from the early age to present time in history. Evolution from barter trade to the present day use of cash and cheque systems to carry out transactions is a clear indication of developments in commerce. During the early periods, cultures exchanged goods within Persian present boundaries and other regions. Beginning from the third millennium, evidence has shown that there was movement of goods within and outside Mesopotamia. Apart from pottery, seals and weapons, there is archeological evidence of other products being exchanged during the pre-colonial period like tin, lapis lazuli and chlorite vessels. During the period of Uruk, Mesopotamia politically and economically influenced Susa which is in present Kuzestan. This research reveals strong trading relationships between and Mesopotamia. However, the evidence given is not sufficient to tell the kind of goods that were traded. During the nineteenth century, there is clear evidence of long distance trade in continents like Africa. The caravan trade opened the interior linking many Africans into the economy of the world. They supplied mostly ivory and slavery services to other continents. Many African traders formed the trading routes used by other traders. By 1811, the East Coast traders Started entering the interior of Tanzania for purposes of commerce. By 1820, they were already around Lake Tanganyika in Uganda. In 1944 when they arrived in Buganda, they met a very powerful state. The Arabs settled in Nyamwezi country to carry out trade. In i952, they founded Tabora in the centre of major trading routes.(Department of Commerce) The 19th century witnessed a low level economy in America because America was still young. Since then, America has highly developed economically. Commerce is one of the main aspects which have contributed to America’s identity. Many cities have developed with a highly developed transportation system. In 1800, seaboard ports emerged as the largest commerce centres. The mostly exported goods were simple products. The seaboard ports were surrounded by many firms. The local industry had lumber, bricks, wagons and ironware to exchange. All these materials were locally produced. Many other jobs emanated apart from craftsmanship like tax collectors, teachers politicians and bankers. The foods that were being exchanged included honey, butter, whisky and fruits. Many people saw the need to move to the western part of America because the eastern part had become more populated. In 1825, America began expanding towards Mississippi River. In 1929 after the decline of the market, the American economy deteriorated for an entire period. The world experienced a great depression between 1924 and 1941. America had dominated the world economy especially in the manufacturing sector. Ford and Chrysler were examples of the automobile manufacturers. There are many developments in the world commerce and industrialization activities. In the early times craft products were the main elements of trade. The level of technology was very low and could not allow creation of advanced products to sell. The current era has witnessed immense advancements in technology that have had a major contribution in industrialization. The transportation systems during the pre-colonial era could not allow people to move faster when of carrying out commercial activities. The developments in world transport system have changed the way of trading positively. Developments in railway and air transport systems have greatly attributed to advancements in commerce (Depew). The means of payment have also advanced compared to the means used in early times. Technology has made it possible to make and receive payments through credit cards and other electronic means hence the term electronic commerce. People don’t have to travel long distances i.e. long distance trade anymore to carry out commercial activities as they did in early times. Colonization This is a state whereby the colonizers established colonies in other states by taking control. The Americans were colonized by the Europeans around the year 1492. Vikings(Norse) are known to be the first people from Europe to reach America during eleventh century. Several colonies were established by the Vikings in Greenland and Newfoundland, formerly known as Vinland. The Greenland settlements collapsed towards the end of the 15th century. In 1492, Christopher Columbus led the Spanish expedition sailing to America (Sluyter). They came up with New World on the western side. This was later followed by European exploration and colonization. This extended to the interiors of South and North America all the way from the Caribbean coasts. In 1497, John Cabot settled on the coast of North America. Finally, the European nations acquired almost the whole of Western Hemisphere. Close to 50 million Europeans were in America in the 19th century. The Columbian Exchange period came after 1492. The countries in Europe started to explore and seek domination on world countries during the 16th century. By 19th century, a new colonial expansion period had been launched by Europeans. They discovered new settlement areas and new markets. In Africa, Africans faced harsh aggression, military invasions, diplomatic pressures and finally they were colonized by the Europeans. In response, many Africans reacted by resisting the colonial rule and this led to frictions between African and European nations. The colonization of African countries resulted to adoption of foreign languages in African schools (Jaffary). For instance, in South Africa the whites use two languages i.e. English and Afrikaans. After the British colonizing South Africans, they made English the medium of instruction in schools. A bilingual education system emerged where we have some schools using Afrikaans and others using English as media of instruction. The French introduced their language in their colonies in West Africa. Some of the countries in West Africa that were colonized by France include Cameroon, Senegal, Madagascar and Tunisia. Cameroon has been influenced by three colonial powers i.e. British, German and the French. During the Second World War after defeating Germany, Cameroon came under the rule of two colonial masters. The British took control of the western part while France acquired the eastern part of Cameroon. As a result, Cameroon is a bilingual state with two educational systems, the Francophone in the Eastern part and Anglophone in the western part. There still remains a rift in the system of education in Cameroon even after attempts were made to merge the two zones. It is clearly noted that colonization of African countries led to positive changes in African systems of education. African countries adopted uniformity in schools especially on languages of instruction. The foreign languages have acted as symbols of unity in colonized nations because language is what people use to communicate their ideas and cultures. Through language, people find it easy to nurture and develop their culture. The European colonization of Africa was motivated by economic, social and political factors. The slave trade was abolished and suppressed in the 19th century. There was also expansion of industrial revolution in Europe. The Europeans were in a great need of raw materials for their industries and ready markets for their final products. These needs led to European nations scrambling and acquiring territories in Africa. (Johnston, Harry H) In Asia, the major colonizers were Japanese, the U.S and Europeans. In Southeast Asia, there emerged seven colonial masters: Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, United States, France and Japan. Colonization in Southeast Asia happened between 1500 and 1940. The Asian colonizers introduced customs, religion, traditions and court practices around the region. They related both economically and culturally. The U.S and Japanese also dominated the southeast part of Asia. Japanese rule happened in the time of Pacific War of the Second World War. The United States ruled the Philippines after the Spanish-American war in 1898. The Asians responded by collaborating and adopting nationalism. Southeast Asia adopted different cultures, civilizations and religions: Buddhism, animism, Taoism, Hinduism, Confucianism and Islam. Trade, culture, monarchy and religion played a major role in forming states of Southeast Asian countries. The Spanish expeditions claimed Philippines between 1525 and 1536. Spain later conquered Cebu in 1565. Spain established Manila city in 1571 and gained control of archipelago (Barton 50) by 1600. By 1596, the Dutch were in Indonesia. From 1605 to 1799, the East India Company carried out the Dutch colonialism. The company aimed at maximizing profits through monopolies and not political rule. After the collapse of the company in 1799, the Netherlands government gain administrative authority over Indonesia. This exercise ended in the 1930s. During the WWII, there was a national liberation war in Indonesia and this led to Indonesians setting up their republic in the year 1945. Thereafter in 1949, the United Nations recognized Indonesia as an independent state. In comparison, the colonization process took place at different periods in different sections of the world. In America, colonization took place in the 15th century while in most African states it happened during the 20th century. This is noted in countries like Senegal, Tanzania and Kenya. In Asian countries, colonization took place all the way from 1500 to 1940. The main similarity that colonizers shared is the idea of introducing positive changes to their colonies’ countries. The changes were manifested through new languages, cultures, religions and even political ideologies like capitalism in the United States. Conquest Conquest refers to taking control of people or a place by using military force. The conquerors normally have some vested interest in the people they conquer. There are several instances of conquest in the history of mankind e.g. the Spain conquest, the scramble for and partition of Africa. Christopher Columbus became the governor of new territories after discovering Americas in 1492. The conquered states were later colonized. They include most parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean parts and Mexico. Portugal and Spain signed the Tordisillas Treaty in the year 1494 (Hull). They aimed at dividing the globe into two different spheres of influence. They did not want to disrupt each other’s activities and conquests. Portugal took the east and Spain took the west to be their spheres of influence. Most of the central and South America was under the Spain. Spain started conquering Americas in early 16th century by subjecting them to Christianity. Among the first lands to be conquered in America were Cuba and Puerto Rico. The first Spaniards settled in Panama The conquistadors (Spanish soldiers and explorers) fought against the locals who were stronger before claiming land for Spanish crown. Hernan Cortes took over two years with his team in Mexico to acquire the Aztec empire. He succeeded in 1521 after getting help from Native American allies. He then referred to Mexico as New Spain. The conquistadors were cruel and very notorious. They abused, enslaved and even killed the locals. The resistance to Spanish invasion led to long bloodied battles. Diseases attacked the people of the Caribbean islands and reduced their population. The occupants of the other areas South and Central American outnumbered the Spanish and attacked them unexpectedly. Spanish founded the Merida city in 1952 though they only took control of some few areas around the city. The Mayan communities still controlled the largest part of Peninsula. There was a very strong slave revolt in Haiti revolt. The revolt ran from 1790 to 1804 after which Haiti Became independent. Many other slave revolts emerged throughout Brazil and the Caribbean. (Sanchez) The Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885 was meant to divide Africa. It was referred to as the scramble for and partition of Africa. Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor of German Empire convened a meeting of fourteen states in November 1844 to discuss on how to partition Africa. Germany, France, Portugal and Great Britain were among the fourteen nations. British dominated most of Southern and East Africa while French covered the West Africa. Congo was acquired by the Belgians. After the First World War, four colonies under Germany came under the League of Nations. The League mandated other colonizers to take control of the territories. The main aim of colonial masters was to explore in Africa. Some colonial masters used democracy like France and the United Kingdom while others like Spain and Portugal applied dictatorship. (Miller) Indirect rule was one of the methods used to conquer African nations. Britain applied this rule by organizing colonies at district, regional and provincial levels. Colonial governors worked together with appointed executives and legislative councils of appointed local members. The governor reported to the office of the colonial secretary based in London. The colonial secretary made the laws and policies to be applied by the governors. The British subdivided their colonies into provinces which were headed by residents or commissioners. Provinces were subdivided into districts which were under district officers. The indirect rule was integrated into the preexisting institutions and political leaderships. Assimilation was another method of conquering African nations and it was applied by the French. They established centralized systems of administration which did not include the locals. They stated that they were on a civilizing mission to bring Africans to the new status of civilization. The French laws were very strict and many Africans could not cope. For one to be a French citizen, he or she was required to speak fluent French and to have won something in the name of an award. In response, African leaders formed military groups to fight the conquerors leading to frictions between the groups. In conquest, some colonies collaborated with their colonial masters while others completely resisted like in Haiti. Colonial masters also came up with strategic plans of conquering like the Berlin Conference and the Tordisillas treaty. Conversion Conversion is manifested throughout in History is aspects like religion, culture, beliefs and traditions. The French in their conquering and colonization processes, they made an attempt to convert Africans to their way of doing things like language. They passed a law that, to acquire French citizenship, one must be able to speak fluent French. Some Africans adhered to this but others could not. The colonial masters also converted their colonies in religion and beliefs. The European missionaries introduced Christianity to the countries they visited. The Portuguese mission into Angola to seek slave trade was accompanied by commerce, Christianity, and civilization. While the Christianity conversion increased, western education also started rising. Africans adopted the new faith but still related it to their way of life. Later with time, African evangelists displaced the western missionaries. The evangelists guided Africans in reading, understanding and interpreting the bible. This made Africans abandon their old beliefs and adopt beliefs that are in line with what the bible says. Through conversion, the colonies adopted new cultures and news ways of doing things like Africans started wearing clothes and abandoned the skins they used to wear (Sono). Buddhism and Taoism were introduced in Southeast Asia during colonization. Generally, different aspects of conversion improved peoples way of life in history. Works Cited Depew, Chauncey M. 1795-1895: One Hundred Years of American Commerce ... : a History of American Commerce by One Hundred Americans, with a Chronological Table of the Important Events of American Commerce and Invention Within the Past One Hundred Years. New York: D.O. Haynes, 1895. Print. Playne, Somerset, J W. Bond, and Arnold Wright. 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Lindenfeld, David F, and Miles Richardson. Beyond Conversion and Syncretism: Indigenous Encounters with Missionary Christianity, 1800-2000. New York: Berghahn Books, 2012. Print. Dasgupta, Biplab. European Trade and Colonial Conquest. London: Anthem, 2005. Print. Sharkey, Heather J. Cultural Conversions: Unexpected Consequences of Christian Missionary Encounters in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. , 2013. Internet resource. Sánchez, José. Hispanic Heroes of Discovery and Conquest of Spanish America in European Drama. , 1978. Print. Elphick, Richard H, and T R. H. Davenport. Christianity in South Africa: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. Oxford: James Currey, 1997. Print. Department of Commerce: Condensed History, Duties, and Practical Operation of the Department and Its Several Bureaus and Offices, Together with Laws Relating Specifically Thereto. July 1, L9l3. Washington: Govt. Print. Off, 1913. Print. Sluyter, Andrew. Colonialism and Landscape: Postcolonial Theory and Applications. Lanham, Md: Rowman& Littlefield Publishers, 2002. Print. Jaffary, Nora E. Gender, Race and Religion in the Colonization of the Americas. Aldershot, Hampshire [u.a.: Ashgate, 2008. Print. Ndukaihe, Vernantius E, and Peter Fonk. Achievement As Value in the Igbo/african Identity: The Ethics. Berlin: Lit, 2006. Print. Miller, Robert J. Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and Manifest Destiny. Westport, Conn: Praeger Publishers, 2006. Print. Johnston, Harry H. A History of the Colonization of Africa by Alien Races. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. Murungi, John. An Introduction to African Legal Philosophy. , 2013. Print. Read More