Effects Of European Imperialism On Africa

Africa’s majority of unique aspects such as their variety of cultures was eliminated by the Europeans, who sought a homogenous continent that was able to be molded into to the power and stability of their own. They utilized force to turn the african population into machines that would follow them in creating a prosperous region through religion and resources. Although short term effect were prominent in early African society, the long term effects are what shaped Africa into the poverty-stricken continent it is today. The European colonization of Africa exhibited overall negative effects, including unstable political conditions and massive human rights violations. European colonization of Africa resulted in a corrupt political state in most

The French imposed an early way of governmental forum that has influenced leader’s king-like attribute throughout Togo’s history. The earliest form of dictatorship began when “an unsupervised general election was held in 1958 and won by Sylvanus Olympio” (HISTORY 2). Four political parties in Togo existed simultaneously during this time period, although only one of these truly benefited from the ruling of Sylvanus Olympio. This was his own party, the Unite Togolaise. The biased view of Olympio resulted is a dissolution of the remaining three parties, who fled to get away from views that opposed their own. A prominent effect of the corrupt political situation was a forceful opposition from the non-commissioned officers of the French army who were dissatisfied with the way they were treated. During the rule of Olympus he modified several aspects of the government, one of which was discharging these officers from the French army. The discharge caused an uprising fueled by the hatred towards Sylvus Olympus who “On January 13, 1963,... was assassinated in an uprising of army non-commissioned officers” (HISTORY 3). Although this heinous act rid Togo of a ferocious leader, it brought upon the country a political condition almost as

The Europeans viewed Africans as less than people, almost as if they were only animals that could be used to help them create an army of slaves. The downgrading of African life can be observed in the book Things Fall Apart on several occasions, as Europeans invade and inflict their own way of living. The Ibo tribe is turned inside out as even the most respected men of the village are disdained by the European people. The extreme violation of human rights reaches its climax when the District Commissioner takes the leaders of Umuofia prisoner, forcing them to pay a fine. Their inhumane treatment is evident when a man “Shaved off all the hair on the men’s head...they were not given any water to drink”(Achebe 195). Although the commissioner orders the men to be treated with respect, the opposite occurs. The men are treated as caged animals who have no way to escape or even gain access to basic needs like food, water, and a sanitized area. Their only way to leave is to pay a fine that will ultimately send the image that the Europeans have gained complete control over the African tribe. Lastly, the violation of human rights can be seen in Sudan, when the British forced the North and the South to become one country against their will. The merging of both areas was a huge mistake because “the...people were so different,