Historical+Colonialism+Past+&+Present

=Historical Colonialism =

Colonialism- the acquisition and settlement of a territory or country by another nation. Mercantile system- created 17th centaury Belief that colonies only existed for the economic benefit of another Land Tenure- Manner, in which land is held, Farmer owns land, pays others to work on it Cash Crops- land that was once used to support colonies, changed and imported to mother country causing lack of food for town

Past
Until the middle of the 15th century, trade was conducted over land via the famous **spice road.** 1453 the Byzatine Empire collapsed and travel over the spice road became difficult. Therefor Europeans went on a search for roots through the sea to India, South East Asia, and other countries. Spain and Portugal quickly became dominant on explorations for new trade routes, Portugese explorers had already sailed south to Africa and India. This caused fear due to the rivalry of these nations as they expanded their expeditions for new trade. The solution to this problem was the **Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494**. European countries challenged claims with Spain and Portugal, they established immense empires that were many times the size of their mother country. Through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States and Japan scrambled to develop empires. For the United States, this meant taking over countries, such as Cuba and the Philippines.

Impacts

 * Traditional land tenure practices were destroyed.
 * The best land came to be owned by concession companies or settlers, in the form of large plantations. The local population was pushed off the land.
 * Land that had been used to grow food for local people came to be used for growing crops that would be sent to the mother country.
 * The growth of local manufacturing was delayed and distorted by artificial trade controls.
 * Colonial mining, forestry, and agricultural and manufacturing developments paid very little attention to environmental protection
 * Foriegn political systems were imposed on colonies. Rarely did these systems recognize and respect the traditional political systems of the colony.
 * Colonial powers were unable to supply enough of their own people to manage, control, and protect their colonies.
 * Countries were created from land areas that did not match traditional tribal or cultural boundaries.
 * Colonizers built an infastructure that served only their commercial needs.
 * Colonizers imposed their culture and language on the people living in the lands they look over

Affects on Economy and Current Economic Colonialism
Free market Economy- market on which the prices of all goods and services are determines buy supply and demand Command Economy- market on which supply of goods and services are determined entirely by the government Mixed Economy- an economic system that combines both free enterprise and government intervention

The old form of colonialism has been eliminated, but various forms of informal imperialism have repla ﻿ ced it. In some cases, countries would shift from one sphere of influence to the other as the superpowers fought for dominance. In the absence of a political challenge, economic dominance became more important. This dominance has some things in common with colonialism, but in some important ways it is quite different.


 * Colonies' Role || Colonial Period || Post-Colonial Period ||
 * Source of raw materials || Yes || Yes ||
 * Source of manufactured products || No, competition not wanted || Yes, because of cheap labour supply ||
 * Market for manufactured goods || Yes || Yes ||
 * Chief beneficiary || Colonial power || Transnational Corporation ||

Concession Companies
One of the important ways that European countries developed their empires was by establishing concession companies. Countries created dozens of these corperations to trade in particular parts of the world, or to trade in particular products. In many cases, the companies were also given the responsibility to act as the government in remote parts of the empires. Canada's Hudson's Bay Company is remembered as a vital part of Canada's history. In some ways, these concession companies could be likened to the high-flying, hi-tech companies of our time. Each was tied to the economic growth of tis day, in both positive and negative senses.



[] (map indicating the territories colonialised by the United States and European powers) media type="youtube" key="raNcqAzzHyc" width="425" height="350"