World history contains a huge number of events, names, dates, which are placed in several tens or even hundreds of different textbooks. Different authors have different views on certain circumstances, but they are united by facts that must be told one way or another. In world history, phenomena are known that have appeared once and for a long time, and others that have appeared several times, but for short periods. One of these phenomena is the colonial system. In the article we will tell you what it is, where it was distributed and how it became a thing of the past.
What is a colonial system?
The world colonial system, or colonialism, is a situation when countries developed industrially, culturally, economically dominate the rest of the world (less developed countries, or third world countries).
Dominance was usually established after armed attacks and subjugation of the state. It was expressed in the imposition of economic and political principles and rules of existence.
When it was?
The rudiments of the colonial system appeared in the 15th century during the era of the great geographical discoveries along with the discovery of India and America. Then the indigenous peoples of the open territories had to recognize the technological superiority of foreigners. The first true colonies were formed by Spain in the 17th century. Gradually, Great Britain, France, Portugal, and the Netherlands began to seize and spread their influence. Later, the United States and Japan joined them.
By the end of the 19th century, most of the world was divided between the great powers. Russia did not actively participate in colonization, but also subjugated some neighboring territories.
Who belonged to whom?
Belonging to a particular country determined the development of the colony. How widespread the colonial system was, the table below will tell you the best.
Belonging to the colonizing countries| Metropolitan States | Colony States | Time out of influence |
| Spain | Countries of Central and South America, Southeast Asia | 1898 |
| Portugal | Countries of South America, South West Africa | 1975 |
| Great Britain | British Isles, North America, Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, India, Australia, and Oceania | The end of the 40s - the beginning of the 60s. XX century |
| France | Countries of North and Central America, North and Central Africa, the Middle East, Oceania, Indochina | The end of the 40s - the beginning of the 60s. XX century |
| USA | Countries of Central and South America, Oceania, Africa | The end of the XX century., Some countries have not gotten out of influence so far. |
| Russia | Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, Central Asia, the Far East | 1991 year |
There were smaller colonies, but the table shows that only Antarctica and Antarctica were not influenced by anyone, because they did not have raw materials and a platform for the development of industry, the economy, and life in general. Colonies were controlled through governors appointed by the ruler of the metropolitan country or through constant visits to the colonies.
Characteristic features of the period
The period of colonialism has its own characteristics:
- All actions are aimed at establishing a monopoly in trade with colonial territories, i.e., the metropolitan countries wanted the colonies to establish trade relations only with them and with no one else,
- armed attacks and looting of entire states, and then subjugating them to themselves,
- the use of feudal and slaveholding forms of exploitation of the population of the colonial countries, which turned them almost into slaves.
Thanks to this policy, the countries that owned the colonies quickly gained capital reserves, which allowed them to enter the leading places on the world stage. Thus, it was thanks to the colonies and their financial means that England became the most developed country of that time.
How did it break up?
The colonial system of the world did not collapse immediately, at once. This process took place gradually. The main period of loss of influence over the colonial countries was at the end of World War II (1941-1945), because people believed that you could live without oppression and control from another country.
Somewhere the way out of influence took place peacefully, through agreements and the signing of agreements, and somewhere through military and rebel actions. Some countries in Africa and Oceania are still under US rule, but are no longer experiencing such oppression as it was in the 18-19 centuries.
The consequences of the colonial system
It is difficult to call the colonial system unambiguously a positive or negative phenomenon in the life of the world community. It had both positive and negative sides both for the metropolitan states and for the colonies. The collapse of the colonial system led to certain consequences.
For the metropolis, they were as follows:
- drop in own production capacities due to the possession of markets and the resources of the colonies and, therefore, the lack of incentives,
- capital investment in colonies to the detriment of the metropolis,
- lagging behind in competition and development from other countries due to increased concern for the colonies.
For colonies:
- the destruction and loss of traditional culture and way of life, the complete extermination of certain nationalities;
- devastation of natural and cultural reserves;
- a decrease in the local population of the colonies due to attacks by the mother countries, epidemics, hunger, etc .;
- the emergence of their industry and intelligentsia;
- the emergence of the foundations for the future independent development of the country.