Historical Colonial Systems and Imperial Power Dynamics
Historical Colonial Systems
The system of colonial occupation could have public and private colonies:
Private Colonies
This involved the economic exploitation by a company. The main interest was profit. In newly discovered territories, settlers, belonging to a country, discovered the colony and were not accountable to the metropolis, imposing their own rules. For example, the Belgian Congo began as a private economic venture under Belgian colonization, with the Belgian King as the top shareholder. This company subsequently became public.
Public Colonies
The state itself exploited territories; the government ordered the exploitation and exploration. Here, the laws of the metropolis applied, often with exceptions for indigenous employment status.
Types of Colonies
Colonies of Exploitation
Often private, these were created simply to exploit a mine, land, etc. These were common at the time of origin.
Concessions
These are territories granted by a state, often for specific exploitation or control. For example, a license might be given. The text mentions the Japanese Empire in the 19th century and places like Hong Kong and Macao in this context.
Protectorates
These are colonies where the metropolis reserves foreign affairs and military defense, maintaining actual possession of the territory, but allows local authorities to retain part of their traditional power. For example, Morocco was divided into a northern Spanish protectorate and a French part.
Domains
These were colonies with a very large number of people born in the metropolis. Upon decolonization, these often had better conditions for independence, as they were allowed self-government. For example, Canada and Australia, where the United Kingdom’s population began to grow as it came to outnumber the indigenous population of the colony. The head of state remained the same as that of the metropolis. Domains were essentially British.
Metropolitan Areas or Provinces
These are colonies that had legal and living conditions very similar to the metropolis. For example, Algeria and Tunisia, which had almost the same rights as a province of France. The Algerian population considered this territory part of France, and those born in the metropolis found it difficult to accept their territories becoming independent. In the case of Cuba, it was thought…
Imperialism and Key Historical Events
Imperialism would be the culmination of the expansion of the major powers on other continents. This process began in the 16th century but accelerated and intensified between 1875 and 1914, combining economic exploitation of a territory with political, military, and administrative control.
Royalties
For the exploitation of oil, the metropolis paid some taxes to the colonies.
Berlin Conference (1884-1885)
Convened by France and the United Kingdom, this conference aimed to prevent clashes between the colonizing countries. Its origin lay in the discussion of whether African rivers were navigable. If a river was not navigable, customs could be imposed; if it was navigable, taxes could not be levied. This led to discussions on the free navigation of rivers and the distribution of African territory, ultimately achieving free shipping. In this division, only two countries remained free:
- Liberia (with its capital, Monrovia), formed by former slaves, a country with characteristics similar to the U.S.
- Abyssinia (Ethiopia), occupied in the 20th century by the Italians, with its capital, Addis Ababa.
The distribution took place on a map using straight lines, which is why many territories in Africa now have such straight borders.
Anglo-Russian Agreement (1907)
This is a historical event preceding World War I. The agreement concerned Central Asia. Russia was to the north and the British to the south. India, along with other states like Pakistan and Burma, at that time belonged to the British Indian Empire. The central part, however, was theoretically independent but under strong colonial influence from both Russia and Great Britain.
Fashoda Incident (1898)
A confrontation between France and the United Kingdom occurred in the present-day state of Sudan due to clashing colonial interests of both countries. The standoff lasted for several months, but France finally withdrew, and the United Kingdom retained the territory. This led to French disillusionment as they realized the United Kingdom’s superior strength.
Crisis Ultimatum (1890)
This occurred between the United Kingdom and Portugal. Portugal claimed the union of Angola and Mozambique, while Britain sought to unite Egypt with the Cape Colony. The clash was inevitable, and the British presented an ultimatum to Portugal. Portugal gave up its project, leaving the way open for British expansion. The British were conquering by force.