Free Essays on Africa

The Legacy of Colonialism: Integration, Dependency, and Responsibility The economic philosophy of colonialism has contributed to the present economic instability of the continent of Africa. Assigned third-world economy status, dependent upon the world market, and caught amid social and political wars, Africa has not adapted well to the changes thrust upon it by colonial rule. But while historical events have played a significant role in condemning Africa to poverty and underdevelopment, African leaders themselves have also failed to own up to their leadership responsibilities. A factor contributing to Africa’s inability to manage itself effectively is the colonial economic system, which has been thrust prematurely upon Africa, and which has relegated the African economies to a peripheral third-world status within the world economy. The most notable legacy of colonialism has been the integration of socialist-type colonies into the global capitalist economy. The main force keeping economies in the global system and sustaining imperialism is the market itself. For the wealthy in Africa, the market is a wonderful benefit, offering goods that Africa does not manufacture. The world market enables African elites to consume products of western civilization without having to initiate the difficult and long-term process of constructing the productive base of their societies. It is easier, and makes more short-term sense, to embrace the global market than to try to build industries from the ground up. Unfortunately, the virtual non-existence of an indigenous m anufacturing industry renders Africa dependent on and vulnerable to the changing world market. The economy’s reliance on the world market is an important economic effect of colonialism, as are the new social and demographic changes effected by Africa’s incorporation into the global economy. The introduction of an organized commercial economy has largely replaced Africa’s tradit... Free Essays on Africa Free Essays on Africa Africa in General and Madagascar Africa, until the middle to late nineteenth century was known as The Dark Continent. The reason for this reputation was that at the time no outsider was able to go in land of the big continent and see the diversity and the complexity of it. The first impression the European got was what they saw that the coastal areas of Africa and took this impression back to their countries and labeled the continent as being dark, not only because the encounter they had with dark skinned people also because of their ignorance. Africa can be looked at in several different ways, such as climate, ethnicity, history, languages, vegetation, natural resources, physical feature, and religions. First, Africa has five main climate regions: tropical rain forests, mediterranean, savanna, steppe, and desert. It also has small regions of highland, marine, and subtropical. Second, the vegetation varies depending on the climate area. In desert regions it is mostly barren but does have small amount of vegetation, which has adapted to a limited supply of water. Tropical rain forest usually has three layers of trees, all of which are broadleaf evergreens. They also have a variety of small ferns, vines, and shrubs. In the mediterranean environment there are evergreen trees mixed with coniferous and broadleaf trees. Oaks, pines, and small shrubs also are common. There are two types of savanna, woodland that has tall tress and perennial grasses and grassland, which consists of low growing deciduous, evergreen, and shrubbery. Grassland savannas also have many species of bare thorn shrubbery and the grasses are almost barren. Depending on the area, Africa's cash crop consists of coffee, gum, rubber, tobacco, cocoa, grapes, ground nuts, sugar, citrus, cotton, oil palm, and tea. Then we can say that the climatic region determines what vegetation, cash crop or natural can survive where. Generally speaking however Africa's natural resources a... Free Essays on Africa The Legacy of Colonialism: Integration, Dependency, and Responsibility The economic philosophy of colonialism has contributed to the present economic instability of the continent of Africa. Assigned third-world economy status, dependent upon the world market, and caught amid social and political wars, Africa has not adapted well to the changes thrust upon it by colonial rule. But while historical events have played a significant role in condemning Africa to poverty and underdevelopment, African leaders themselves have also failed to own up to their leadership responsibilities. A factor contributing to Africa’s inability to manage itself effectively is the colonial economic system, which has been thrust prematurely upon Africa, and which has relegated the African economies to a peripheral third-world status within the world economy. The most notable legacy of colonialism has been the integration of socialist-type colonies into the global capitalist economy. The main force keeping economies in the global system and sustaining imperialism is the market itself. For the wealthy in Africa, the market is a wonderful benefit, offering goods that Africa does not manufacture. The world market enables African elites to consume products of western civilization without having to initiate the difficult and long-term process of constructing the productive base of their societies. It is easier, and makes more short-term sense, to embrace the global market than to try to build industries from the ground up. Unfortunately, the virtual non-existence of an indigenous m anufacturing industry renders Africa dependent on and vulnerable to the changing world market. The economy’s reliance on the world market is an important economic effect of colonialism, as are the new social and demographic changes effected by Africa’s incorporation into the global economy. The introduction of an organized commercial economy has largely replaced Africa’s tradit...