chapter 20

Although I have so much more blogs to catch up on, I just had to post chapter 20 :)

Colonial Encounters


Reading about the colonial takeovers that happened in Asia and Africa were interesting to read. Around the periods of 1750-1900 is the establishment of the second wave. The second wave European empire are based on military force or threats. The original European militaries advantage lay in organization, drill, and command structure. Over the 19th century the Europeans had developed an enormous firepower (rifles and machine guns) advantage. The Europeans were exceedingly reluctant to allow even the most highly educated Asians and Africans to enter the upper ranks of the colonial civil service. Colonizers were also amazed at the different cultures have a way of counting and classifying their subjects, for example, in India, they appropriated an idealized caste system. Also, in Africa, they identify or invent distinct tribes. The various working groups include the migrant workers, cash-crop farmers, plantation laborers, domestic servants, the urban elites, and day laborers.