Effects Of Imperialism

During the years of 1880-1913s European empires started to expand into the unexplored land mass of Africa. The exploration of Africa started with Liberia and Ethiopia. Later on Africa would be carved between several major players which were the British, French, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Spain. Who were motivated by economical, and political supremacy over other European countries. The Europeans did this through the use of aggression, diplomatic pressure, military invasions, and eventually through the use of conquest and colonization.
The effects of imperialism are seen within Joseph Conard’s “Heart of Darkness” in which the effects of Imperialism are shown within Africa; while giving a clear . Imperialism helped many countries
expand their power, and land mass to show their strength among other nations within Europe. Joseph mainly focused on the Congo a major area involved in the colonization of Africa. As the Congo was rich with resources such as ivory, and a strategic area as it is in the middle of Africa and its size.
In Heart of Darkness the view that the Africans as being savages within their own homelands. That the “native mats covered the clay walls; a collection of spears, assegais, shields, knives was hung up in trophies” (Conrad, 93), the Europeans viewed natives as being savages. Even though the Europeans where the ones that came into Africa through the use imperialism. Killing many Africans and destroying many nations just to prove that they are the strongest nation within Europe proving their dominance.
The evilness of imperialism is also shown with the Heart of Darkness.
Such as Maslow viewed “a nigger… Being beaten nearby. They said he had cause the fire in some way; be that as it may, he was screeching mot horribly” (Conrad, 92). It shows how colonizing used the natives for their own needs blaming them for everything that happened wrong, as well using them as slaves for their own personal benefits. The Europeans will never see the Africans as their equals as they will always be seen as second class citizens on their own land. They were viewed as being beast as they were seen as being “a black figure…[That had] horns-antelope horns…[It could have been] some sorcerer, some which-man, no doubt: it looked fiend-like enough” (Conrad, 142). The Europeans and especially Maslow view the Africans as being some type of beast, that they have to hunt down and get rid of. So that they could take over the land of the Africans, especially the land of the
Congo.
The people of the Congo also viewed the land as being sacred, as they viewed the land as being sacred. They hated the fact that the Europeans were taking away their resources. Especially ivory and precious metals within the earth.
Additionally Heart of Darkness gives an accurate description of European Imperialism. Such as using military force “instantly, in the emptiness of the landscape, a cry arose whose shrillness pierced the still air like a sharp arrow flying straight to the very heart of the land; and, as if by enchantment, streams of human beings-of naked human beings-with spears in their hands, with bows, with shields, with wild glances and savage movements, were poured into the clearing by the dark faced and pensive forest” (Conrad, 135). The Europeans used Imperialism through military force, instead of through the use of Diplomacy. Millions of Africans were killed due the need of European expansion, especially due to British and French expansion as they are one of the major players in world colonization. They brought savagery and death where ever they went “close to the market impaled on a high pole we saw the dried up remains of a native who had killed one of his tribe in the market place” (Conrad, 187), the Europeans are turning the natives against one another. For the their own good instead of looking at the good of the natives. They Europeans started to take out resources from the land, and killing the wildlife to the points of extinction.
Europeans also started to use diplomacy to get the Africans on their sides through paying and bribing them to get them on their side, and stop retaliation. The Europeans had also started to hire the Africans:
The king of the Belgians commissioned me to go to that country.
My expeditions when we started from the coast numbered 300 colored people and fourteen Europeans. We returned with 3,000 trained black men and 300 Europeans. The first sum allowed me was $50,000 a year, but it has ended at something like $700,000 a year (Conrad, 208).
The Africans started to accept Europeans in some parts of Africa as they viewed it as being a better life for them and their families. As Africans were starting to get employed instead of doing forced labor and working as a slave. The Europeans also viewed hiring the Africans as keeping them at bay, while at the same time using them for their own benefits. On the other hand within Heart of Darkness does not show the negative aspects of Imperialism within Africa. Such as the loss of independence, slavery, disunity among Africans, exploitation of resources and deterioration of African culture. Such as the fact that through European imperialism many African would be subjected to centauries of slavery, while doing forced labor without any pay. If they disobeyed their white captors they were punished through whippings, starvation, and even to the extreme of getting their hands cut off to make an example of them. As well as the fact that they were forced to abandon their culture, while adopting western
culture.
However Heart of Darkness barley touches on the many positive impacts that European imperialism brought into Africa. Such as trade, education, new religion, and a new admiration system; which helped many Africans gain a better future and have a secure source of income. As they many Africans who were lucky enough to gain a western education which is more advanced than the education that they were receiving. European imperialism also helped to bring trade into Africa, as they started to get new goods in exchange for a surplus of goods.