The Colonial Era Arguably had a Great Impact on what has Later Become Known as the Developing World - Essay Example

Task The colonial era was a period when countries like Britain and France were trying to increase the size of their borders through exploration and settlement in foreign lands, and an era in which exploration went as far as outside the continent of Europe to continents such as Africa and Southern America. The European countries had varied reasons for exploring the earth since they wanted to improve their wealth and look for fame. In America, the first colonial country to arrive was Spain, which settled around the lands of America, after which Britain settled around the year 1650.

The colonial era caused the spread of different cultures across the globe, mainly the spread of the English, Spanish and French languages to the countries that were colonized. Civilization was spread to the colonized countries since most of the countries colonized were not exposed to the new methods of travelling, reading and writing. The term Developing Countries refers to countries that are still struggling to improve and stabilize their economy, and mostly have poor governance right from the head of states to the local leaders.

These countries are usually characterized as corrupt and non-developing due to leaders who do often not focus on future economic events. Many people living in these countries go through a myriad of difficult situations, for example, the issues faced in edification and healthcare. The financial state of these countries is low and usually, the governments do not have sufficient currency to run planned programs and projects. The main idea to end poverty is through spending on infrastructure development, for example, the construction masterly roads (Sachs).

The effects of colonialism on the developing world are discussed clearly, and some of the developing countries are Cameroon in Africa, and Indonesia in Asia. Colonialism had different negative and positive implications on the cultures, values education status, languages, and other factors in the colonized countries. For example, some of the effects include the impact on the languages, culture and tradition beliefs. When colonial countries found a favorable land, they settled there and spoke their tongue to the natives.

In some cases, they formed schools in which native students were taught the new language. One of the developing countries in the Asian continent is India; which was colonized by Britain, and after the colonization, the first change was the introduction of English. The British colonists made the English language a compulsory tool for communication and taught the natives their culture using the language. Today, most Indians speak English as their second language and most of them have become exceptionally fluent in the language.

The British also named buildings, roads, and the railway in their language, resulting in the extinction of some of the native languages. This is because the introduction of English led the Indian natives to adopt it in its entirety, a factor that led to the development of English and the deterioration of local dialects. The culture of India also was affected, since the British colonialists introduced new styles of dressings and belief. As a part of the colonization process, the traditional beliefs of Indians were negatively affected, a factor that can be considered as a big threat the lives of the local Indians.

Britain’s way of dressing, eating mannerisms and the education system was firmly imposed on the Indian natives. The Indians traditional beliefs were mostly stamped out, and they were introduced to strange beliefs and ideologies. Britain introduced a new religion, which was Christianity, and introduced it to the Indians in classes about the new religion that saw many people convert and begin to worship the God of the British. The political system in India drastically changed when the Britain colonized the Indian country; the Indians had simple form of governance that ruled and guided the local people.

The overall leader was the chief who maintained tranquility and order, solved land and family disputes, and blessed warriors. The British colonists introduced their system of ruling in which they came up with democracy. Colonialism in Africa was the most successful one since the foreign countries involved benefited due to the fertile land, favorable climate that supported agriculture, and the varieties minerals that were mined. Such opportunities were advantageous to the Europeans nations, since they had found a source of raw material for their factories and inexpensive labor to work in these factories.

Africans were not civilized, and because of their ignorance, they were habitually mistreated by the Europeans countries; they were overworked and punished to do hard labor in the farmlands. The foreign aid helped to bring new agricultural ideas to the African countries (Eicher). The colonial government also introduced formal education to the Africa natives, who were forced to sit in the classes and learn how to read, write and perform calculations. This was a positive impact to the people since they were able to comprehend their human rights.

The Ivory Coast is a country in Africa that is full of minerals such as gold and diamond, minerals that attracted the Europeans nations that were in search for these minerals. In conclusion, the impact of colonialism on the countries affected brought about civilization and the improvement of many economic sectors of these countries. Political systems were also affected as most developing countries embraced the use of democracy to choose their leaders who would guide. Development is now the principal aspect that most countries are working on for future planning and success of the country (Robert, et al).

Therefore, colonialism should be appreciated since it contributed more positive than negative impacts on the colonized countries. Works Cited Eicher, Staatz. International Agricultural Development Third Edition. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University press, 2008. Print. Potter, Robert, et al. Geographies of Development: An Introduction to Development Studies. New York: Prentice Hall, 2008. Print. Sachs, Jeffery. The End of Poverty, How can we Make it Happen in our Lifetime. London: Penguin Group. 2005. Print.