Europeans and colonialism

Around  1,000 BC, colonies were formed around the Mediterranean. This happened because Greek cities wanted to get income through trade. The Roman Empire colonised large areas of land and people when they enlarged their empire. The Vikings also set up colonies in Ireland and elsewhere. From the 16th century, large-scale European colonialism outside Europe began.

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 is seeking to make money through goods and raw materials from the area. The goods and materials are taken to the colonial power, and sometimes these are brought back to the colony. The colony will then become a market. It was common for the native people to be forced to do slave labour for the colonial power.

When the colonisation is strategic, the colonial authority has a wish to expand its power. Colonisation was often motivated by a combination of both economic and strategic objectives.

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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. Several European countries had already had colonies for a long time, but now new countries joined the fight to control new land. There was a race to get the most colonies across both Asia and Africa. These areas were often taken with the use of weapons and force. 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 after the end of World War Two. In 1960, the UN decided that all colonies should get their freedom back and that it was no longer legal 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 well for their goods and it became very difficult for many of the old colonies to found industries and build their economies once they became independent. Many people in the colonies felt subordinate to the colonial powers, 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

Despite the fact that the UN put an end to colonies in 1960, there are still, to this day, territories that are governed by other countries. These territories were occupied or colonised during imperialism and have varying degrees of self-governance. Some examples of countries that fall into this category are The Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, French Polynesia and Bermuda.

Gibraltar is located on the southern tip of the Spanish coastline. The so-called Crown Colony has been governed by Great Britain since 1713. Today Gibraltar has its own government. Spain wants rights to govern Gibraltar. Great Britain believes that Gibraltarians should decide for themselves, and after several referendums where they have said no to Spanish rule, it is quite clear that Gibraltarians do not want to be part of Spain.

The UN keeps an eye on areas and people that are on a list of non-self-governing territories. In 2013, the UN decided that all areas that were still non-self-governing should become independent. But some areas do not want independence. These areas should be able to make their own choices, said Ban Ki-moon, who was UN Secretary-General at the time.

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Gibraltarklippen
Gibraltarklippen

Languages of the world

Language and imperialism are closely linked. The colonial powers brought their culture with them to their new areas. One of the most important cultural traits is language. In some places, such as for the Mayan people in South America, the native language was banned.

In the beginning, the languages of the colonial powers were used for administrative goals. If you wanted to take part in the governance of the country, you had to know the administrative language. Hence the new languages gradually spread to the population.

Spanish, Portuguese, French and English are languages that you can now find on every continent. The most common of these is English, which is officially spoken in 59 different countries. French is officially spoken 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:

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    5. UN Photo / Yutaka Nagata
    6. UN Photo / Jean Pierre Laffont
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