Europeans and colonialism

Around 1,000 BC, colonies were formed around the Mediterranean. Greek cities wanted to make money through trade. The Roman Empire colonised large areas of land and ruled over many people when their empire grew. The Vikings set up colonies in Ireland and in other places.

From the 16th century, European colonialism spread on a large scale outside Europe.

Illustrasjon fra 1800-tallet av et møte i Kongo mellom Europere og Afrikansk urfolk
Illustrasjon fra 1800-tallet av et møte i Kongo mellom Europere og Afrikansk urfolk

The cause of colonialism

There are two main reasons why a country would colonise another, economic and strategic. Sometimes both of them apply.

If the reason is economic, the colonial power wants to make money by getting goods and raw materials from the area.The goods and materials are taken back to the colonial power and sometimes back to the colony. The colony will then become a market. The native people were often forced to do slave work for the colonial power. 

Colonisation was often a combination of economic and strategic reasons.

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Antique photograph of the British Empire: Annexation of the territory of the king of Ado
Antique photograph of the British Empire: Annexation of the territory of the king of Ado

The first phase

In the 16th century, European countries began to take control of areas in both South and Central America. This period lasted until the 19th century. During this period, slaves were brought from Africa for work. The main focus of this period was trade.

Vintage gravering av Hernan Cortes som møter Moctezuma II - en aztekisk hersker

The second phase

The second phase started in the 19th century and lasted until 1914 when the First World War started. New countries joined the fight to control new land. There was a race to get the most colonies in Asia and Africa. This period is called Imperialism.

📷 Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia opposed Italian colonisation at the end of the 19th century

Keiser Menelik II av Etiopia sto imot italiensk kolonisering på slutten av 1800-tallet

Decolonisation

Most colonies got their independence back when World War Two ended. In 1960 the UN decided that all colonies should get their freedom back, and they made it illegal to create new colonies.

What happened to the colonies?

The colonies lost money when raw materials and goods were taken out of the country. The local people were not paid much for the goods, and it was hard for the old colonies to start industries and rebuild their economy when they became free. 

Many people in the colony felt minor to the colonial power, and in many places the old traditions and culture had been set aside for those of the colonial powers.

Countries and people without self-governance

The UN put an end to colonies in 1960, but there are still areas that are ruled by other countries. These areas are countries that were colonies during imperialism. 

Some of these countries are The Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, French Polynesia and Bermuda. They have varying degrees of independence.

Gibraltar lies on the southern tip of the Spanish coast. It is called a Crown Colony and has been ruled by Great Britain since 1713. Today Gibraltar has its own government. Spain wants to rule Gibraltar, but Great Britain wants Gibraltarians to decide for themselves. After several referendums it is clear that Gibraltarians do not want to be part of Spain.

The UN keeps an eye on areas and people that are ruled by others. In 2013, the UN decided that all these areas should be free. But some of them don’t want that and Ban Ki-moon who was UN Secretary-General at the time said that they should be able to decide for themselves.  

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Gibraltarklippen
Gibraltarklippen

Languages of the world

Language and imperialism belong together. The colonial powers brought their culture to new areas. Language is an important cultural trait. In some places, like in South America, the native language of the Mayan people was forbidden.

At first, the language of the colonial powers was used for administrative goals. If you wanted to take part in a higher office, you needed to know the language. Therefore the language spread to the population.

Spanish, Portuguese, French and English are languages that you can find everywhere. English is the official language in 59 different countries. French is the official language in 29, Spanish in 21 and Portuguese in 10 countries.

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Kart over Afrika som viser kolonier fra 1896
Kart over Afrika som viser kolonier fra 1896

Sources:

Media rights:

    1. Getty Images
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    5. UN Photo / Yutaka Nagata
    6. UN Photo / Jean Pierre Laffont
    7. Getty Images
    8. Getty Images