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Angola: Colonial Legacy
History of Colonial Rule
The source of problems in some modern African nations lies in the colonial legacy of the past. Imperialistic policies often denied the native populations their political, economic, cultural, and basic human rights. Many imperialistic practices promoted ethnic rivalries, unequal distribution of resources and wealth, and undemocratic governments which prevented local participation in governmental decisions and actions. The impact of colonization on Angola is similar to that of many other African nations.
Angola suffered from one of the most backward forms of colonial rule because Portugal, compared to other European countries, lacked a stable economy and industrial capacity, which decreased the desire or need to develop the colony. The Portuguese first explored the coast of Angola in the late 15th century and controlled Angola until the late 20th century. In 1575, a colonial settlement was established in Luanda, but no attempts were made to settle inland until the 1900’s. Explorers did not find precious metals, but discovered an excellent source of slaves for the colony in Brazil. During the 1880’s the government in Portugal went through two violent transitions from a monarchy to a republic, then to a military dictatorship in 1926. These changes in the home country resulted in a tightening of Portuguese control in Angola. Portuguese privilege and wealth were maintained through the use of policies that violated human rights. Unjust policies subjected colonized populations to the loss of their lands, resources, cultural and religious identities, and sometimes even their lives.
In the early years of the colony, repeated clashes occurred between the Portuguese and the variou...
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...ively rule a sovereign nation. Similar to other African nations, the transition from colonial to independent status for Angola remains difficult and even violent.
Works Cited
"ANGOLA - HISTORY." Tanzania Safari Holidays & Honeymoons by Tanzania Odyssey. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. .
"Angola from past to Present." Conciliation Resources. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. .
"History of ANGOLA." HistoryWorld - History and Timelines. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. .
Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. Infoplease.com. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. .
Tales of Angola: Free Blacks, Red Stick Creeks, and International Intrigue in Spanish Southwest Florida was a powerful essay written by Cantor Brown Jr. This essay displayed the significant increase of the slave resistance in the state of Florida, in the nineteenth century. Throughout Tales of Angola Brown, came off to his readers with a strong argument regarding the many different characteristics being exhibited of slave resistance in the state of Florida. Even though some may not agree but his argument got through to millions. Angola is a country in southwestern Africa. It was thought that Bantu speaking people from West Africa were the first of many people to arrive to this area, but in actuality the original people to arrive were the Khosian speakers, but since the Bantu people were so powerful they began to displace many of the other kingdoms. The significance of importance of the black communities was more than just the Negro Fort and the Fort Mose. (page.5) After awhile there was a link between Bahamian exiles through these communities. (page.6) Brown’s argument was that the Indian Removal Act, the racial collaborations between Red Sticks and African, and the legacies of resistance in the writing of African American history, all helped in the slave resistance in Florida.
Hailing from the African state of Ndongo and born in 1581 during the start of Luandan disagreement with Portuguese settlers (Toler 265), Queen Nzinga of the African Mbundu tribe stood up for her country and reestablished power over her people. Nzinga came in a time period that needed her. She got her country of Matamba (present day Angola) equal, both economically and socially, to the Portuguese. In order to do this, Nzinga took measures to place herself in the right position to eventually seize rule and steer her country in the right direction, even though it prompted a steady flow of opposition from her enemies. These initial enemies included the Imbangala tribes and irritated Portuguese Settlers, both of which she succeeded in turning into allies. Queen Nzinga's rule was well justified by a legal rise to the throne, and her subsequent role as a skilled ruler counteracted her reputation as a thriving slave trader.
During the 17th century, slavery was a widely used commodity with the Europeans, little do people know however that African kings also had and accepted slavery in their own nations. King Nzinga Mbemba of Congo and the King of Ouidah had similarities on the issue of slavery; they tolerated the use of slaves. Congo’s king had no contingency with slavery; in fact, he had slaves in his country. When the Portuguese were purchasing goods in Congo, the king had men “investigate if the mentioned goods are captives or free men” (NZ, 622). The fact that the king differentiates the men between ‘free’ and ‘captives’ illustrates that not all people in Congo are free. Whether these captives are from the country of Congo or not, they are still caught and held all across the nation against their will. King Mbemba kept slaves because the population of Congo was vastly declining due to the slave trade. In his letter, he pleads with the king of Portug...
The queen was a persistent woman until she got her seat on the throne. In the 1640s, she formed an alliance with the Dutches and drove the Portuguese out of Luanda in 1641. The Portuguese were persistent also, because they came back in 1643,1647, and 1648. Queen Nzingha was strong and drove them out every time, but they conquered Nzingha at Luanda in 1648. Portuguese worked with Queen Nzingha in 1656/1659 and negotiated a slave trade, plus the assistant in military campaign.
It all started in the early 1400s, when Prince Henry the Navigator ‘launched the country’s efforts’. Henry was said to be the leader of the charge because of how he took initiative and was determined to conquer gold, exotic goods, and the realm of Prestor John. The reason for these goals was a result of “caravans of North Africans often trekking far south across the Sahara Desert to the Senegal River, and bartered for gold with the men who dug and panned it”, which intrigued him into exploring the Northwest coast of Africa. He represented Portugal and their ultimate aspiration was to reach the Spice Islands in order to trade with other countries since they would later on be rich. During his expedition to the Indies, he made rest stops
Throughout the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, almost every country in Africa was imperialized by other countries in Europe. To imperialize is to conquer another country, whether it be in the means of politics, economics and/or culture, and control that land. The aftermath for the imperialized country was either beneficial or harmful. The amount of African countries that a European country imperialized varied. Great Britain imperialized fifteen countries in Africa, including Egypt in 1882, Sierra Leone in 1808, and the Union of South Africa in 1910. Although Great Britain’s reasons to imperialize were selfish, Britain helped each country progress afterwards.
Russell-Wood, A. J. R. Portuguese empire, 1415-1808 a world on the move. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins UP, 1998. Print.
A true saying is “Colonization often does more damage than contribution.” Colonialism encouraged Africa’s development in some areas, but in many others it severely damaged the natural progress of the continent. If colonialism was never imposed on Africa, Africa’s developments would be significantly different and many of the problems that the continent faces now would not exist today. In conclusion, at first it seems that colonialism has both positive and negative effects, but the truth is it only damages the colonized nation.
It’s coastline reaching 2,470 km, Mozambique is the perfect location for trade ports. Prior to the Portuguese arrival, Swahili traders flourished with business. Swahili is a culture comprised of Muslims and Mozambican dating back to the 12th century. During colonial times, the slave trade, carried out by the Prazos, the Yao and the Tsonga, grew to new heights in 1752 due to Portuguese control. Later on in history, the Portuguese began forcing Mozambicans into contracted labor, which is one step away from slavery. The Portuguese also levied a tax so Africans would be forced to work for wages on plantations or in mines (Kyle). Mozambique changed from a vibrant trade city to a place where poor families depended on the contracted labor in which
During Imperialistic times South Africa was a region of great resources that was greatly disputed over (Ellis). Europe’s main goal during these times was to compete against each other and played a “game” of which country can imperialize more African countries than the other. Imperialism was a curse to South Africa, because many wars, laws, and deaths were not necessary and would not have happened if South Africa were not imperialized.
Unfortunately, even though European imperialism in Africa was justified, many Africans are still suffering from the effects to this day.
In terms of political changes, European imperialism negatively affected Africa. Firstly, European colonization created enormous conflict between colonists and the African people. African resistance to “The Scramble for Africa” lead to the instability of Africa’s political structure. There was ineffective resistance of the African people against the Europeans. In an attempt to regain their independence, Africans took up arms against their colonial masters as soon as they perceived them to be at a disadvantage. In southern Africa, in The Republic of Namibia, the Herero people rose against German rule in 1904, killing over 100 German settlers and traders. German commander, General von Trotha, retaliated with a war aimed simply at extermination. This resulted in the decline of 70% of the Herero population.1 Nowhere else was colonialism quite so brutal, but almost everywhere it tended towards unrestrained brutality as soon as it was challenged.2 Warfare created considerable unrest among African people. Afterwards, the people of Africa came to the realization that the consequences of resistance against European colonists could be devastating. As well, the Europeans demonstrated that they had the technology and resources to gain control. Secondly, colonial expansion changed the face of Africa’s political structure. The Berlin Conference of 1884-85, attended by 13 European nations and the USA, set the ground rules for partition of Africa. When the conferenc...
In the early 1880’s, the powers of Europe started to take control of regions in Africa and set up colonies there. In the beginning, colonization caused the Africans little harm, but before long, the Europeans started to take complete control of wherever they went. The Europeans used their advanced knowledge and technology to easily maneuver through the vast African landscape and used advanced weapons to take control of the African people and their land. The countries that claimed the most land and had the most significant effect on Africa were France, England, Belgium, and Germany. There were many reasons for the European countries to be competing against each other to gain colonies in Africa. One of the main reasons was that the Europeans believed that the more territory a country was able to control, the more powerful it could become and the more powerful it would be seen as by other countries. Other reasons for the desire to control African land included the many natural resources that could only be found in Africa, such as diamonds, gold, and as time progressed, rubber. It also provided new markets in surrounding places so that manufactured goods could be sold for a larger profit. The Europeans had many motives for imperialism in Africa. Yet the true motives were often shielded as they tried tom present themselves as humanitarians when in reality they were making Africa a terrible place to live with brutality and harsh treatment of the African natives. The ways of the Europeans had many physical and emotional costs for the people of Africa. The imperialism process also took a toll on the people of Europe. The European imperialistic colonization in Africa was motivated by the desire to control the abundant natural resources an...
Africa’s struggle to maintain their sovereignty amidst the encroaching Europeans is as much a psychological battle as it is an economic and political one. The spillover effects the system of racial superiority had on the African continent fractured ...
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.