Third World Socialism

Third World Socialism

Many United States citizens are frightened by the word Socialism. However, the predominant ideology in most Third World countries is socialism. There are many reasons why Third World countries have turned to socialism as their form of government. The main reason the Third World has taken on the concept of socialism is because of the history of feudalism and colonialism that these countries faced for so many years. Socialism was seen as a way to reform the land of many underdeveloped countries. Socialism believes the government needs to intervene to make sure no feudalism or unjust land ownership systems are being enforced.

For many years, Third World countries were being exploited by the British. Many of these countries were rich in natural resources, but were unable to make a profit off of it. Instead, the British were living in these countries, owning most of the land, running the laws and government, and making most of the profits from these natural resources. In the case of Egypt, the British took advantage of the Egyptians through Feudalism. Feudalism is a form of colonialism that asserts control over a previously independent region. Under Feudalism, most of the land was owned by wealthy, British landlords. Two percent of the people owned seventy five percent of the land. The rest of the population worked on the land as surfs. Feudalism in Egypt also practiced the Capitulation System. This system exempted non-Egyptians from the Egyptian law. This meant that if a non-Egyptian killed an Egyptian they would not be arrested or held accountable. Feudalism allowed the British to exploit the Egyptian's. Because of Feudalism, the Egyptians lost their culture and their history.

Since Third World countr...

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...f frowning from other countries when it comes to socialism, people should realize the reason why the Third World adopted this system. For so many years, Third World countries were exploited under colonialism by the Europeans. Third world countries, not only lost most of their natural resources, but they also lost their identity, culture, and civilization. Since these countries were exploited so much under capitalistic systems, it is no wonder that they turn to socialism. Socialism offers Third World countries an opportunity to change their economy around. It allows the poor to have chances that they never had before. So even though it is easy to sometimes frown upon Third World socialism, people should realize that socialism has provided small stepping stones towards abolishing systems of exploitation. It has also helped these countries to progress towards freedom.