This book investigates studies on colonialism and anti-colonialism from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. The author begins by recounting the deleterious impact of colonialism and then focuses on the heady days of anti-colonialism nationalism. He traces how the system fell apart: leaders, especially those of the second-generation, often turned out to be inept and corrupt; structural obstacles led poor countries to continue to depend on the export of commodities; advanced countries promised to help, but did not prove useful; when growth was possible, here and there, the fruits of development were seldom distributed widely. This project will appeal to the academics, researchers, and students in the fields of comparative politics, development studies, government, and economics.
At a time when the UN demonstrates new vitality, this straightforward explanation of nearly a half century of the world organization's experience provides essential background. It sets out the fundamental features of the structure of the UN and traces the political developments around such topics as maintaining international peace, protecting human rights, and improving economic welfare. Its authors are longtime observers and recognized scholars. Their transatlantic collaboration provides an extra edge of objectivity.
Africa and the West presents a fascinating array of primary sources to engage readers in the history of Africa's long and troubled relationship with the West. Many of the sources have not previously appeared in print, or in books readily available to students. Volume 1 covers two major topics: the Atlantic slave trade and the European conquest. It details the beginnings of the slave trade, slavery as a business, the experiences of slaves, and the effect of abolitionism on the trade, using such documents as a letter from a sixteenth-century African king to the king of Portugal calling for a more regulated slave trade, and the nineteenth-century testimony of a South African slave accused of treason. The volume also covers the early nineteenth-century considerations of the costs and benefits of colonization, the development of conquest as the century progressed, with special attention to technology, legislation, empire, religion, racism, and violence, through such unusual documents as Cecil Rhodes's will and a chart of the costs of African animals exported to Western zoos.
Differing interpretations of the history of the United Nations on the one hand conceive of it as an instrument to promote colonial interests while on the other emphasize its influence in facilitating self-determination for dependent territories. The authors in this book explore this dynamic in order to expand our understanding of both the achievements and the limits of international support for the independence of colonized peoples. This book will prove foundational for scholars and students of modern history, international history, and postcolonial history.
Students explore Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and consider the changes colonialism imposed on African governments, economies, and societies.
'Why have some poor countries remained "underdeveloped," or even "failed," while others have become richer and stronger? In the successful group, have a few-notably China-enhanced methods long used by European imperialists to extract national resources from weaker countries? Has solidarity among poor countries ended? What does the future hold for poor countries? For compelling answers to these questions, read Colburn's Colonialism, Independence, and the Construction of Nation-States.' - Lynn T. White III, Professor, Princeton University, New Jersey, USA 'Colburn's Colonialism, Independence, and the Construction of Nation-States is both an enlightening and enjoyable read. It is wide-ranging yet enlivened by telling examples.' - Michael Doyle, Professor, Columbia University, New York, USA 'Forrest Colburn's Colonialism, Independence, and the Construction of Nation-States is in part, and most significantly, a welcome attempt to revisit the history of basic ideas from the past, that should not have been shelved. Development, Third World, colonialism, North-South, are notions that surfaced in the sixties and seventies, and faded under the influence of excessive enthusiasm for "emerging markets" in the new century. Colburn explains splendidly why the history of these notions, and their content, is more relevant than ever.' - Jorge Castañeda, Former Foreign Minister of Mexico, and Professor, New York University, New York, USA This book analyzes how the poorer countries of the world have a shared history: these many countries were assaulted, overrun, and sometimes even formed by European colonialism. The wave of accessions to legal independence in the aftermath of World War II was of extraordinary importance. There was an intoxicating confidence and determination, a sense that everything was possible. A half-century later, the world looks different. The author adroitly delineates the uneven performance of newly-constructed or reimagined nation-states, and the shifting perceptions of the poorer countries in the world. Forrest D. Colburn is a Professor at the City University of New York, New York, USA.
