The Impact of 19th Century European Imperialism in Africa

European Imperialism heavily impacted the African continent through culturally, economic, and political ideas. This era of history is heavily drenched in the aspect of ethnocentrism, which is the belief that one’s own culture is superior that of another. The Europeans colonized Africa believing that they could bring civilization, but they were often ignorant of Africa’s very complex societies. The European powers divided up the continent of Africa among themselves, without any consent from the people who actually lived there. The tribal stratification was changed to a caste system where racial, ethnic, and religious differences were of utmost importance, as delegated by European rule. The structure and business of the African economy was†¦show more content†¦But, the wages for such labor were quite minimal. African laborers were also employed to construct roads and railways for communication, and even yet these jobs provided very inadequate funds for living exp enses and decent survival. The Europeans deeply encouraged the African peasants to grow cash crops, giving them the option to be employed by a European corporation. In an effort to enforce such cash crop principles, the European administrators possessed land ordinances that could introduce major fines or punishment into the peasant’s life. The colonial establishments were soon maintained all over the continent of Africa. Taxation was used to make a profit off the cash crop and it was also used as a method of sustaining the colonial administration. A council of European law-making elitists harnessed the ability to make laws and to supervise the colonies. Labor within the colonial economy was present at all levels with prescribed minimum wage, no matter the physical ability. 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