Essay on Africa: Africa and Cash Crops

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Shiv Lakhanpal September 27th, 2012
Three paragraphs on the motives for the new imperialism:

1. Economic:
While the Europeans established several colonies in Africa, this made African countries underdeveloped while Europeans became rich, prosperous, and well-developed. Before being forced into labor, Africans were a dependent group of people and grew the necessary crops to live a normal and healthy life, but as the Europeans came into picture they had a desire to acquire raw materials, cheap labor, and to expand their trade markets. They achieved this goal by forcing the Africans to grow cash crops no matter what the cost was. The Africans would receive some money, but this money was only used to pay off their taxes so the Europeans would not lose anything and have the labor at no cost. Once the cash crops were grow, the colonists would take the raw materials and sell them for higher prices in Europe and at the same time attracting people to their markets. (Bob Peterson 42).

2. Political:
Europeans also had a desire to gain power, territory and to gain prestige by winning colonies. They accomplished this goal in various ways. To gain territory, they set the bases needed for trading and naval vessels by trespassing the African’s lands and choosing the land which is best. They gained power in other lands because of the superior artillery and the effective medicine. The last thing they did by gaining prestige by winning colonies is if they had strong, centrally-governed nation-states and also a big army which could go out and gain other colonies. (Bill Bigelow; Bob Peterson 36).

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