How Did Imperialism Cause Progress
Imperialism caused more problems than progress because of the destruction of the Zulu tribe and culture, as seen through the control Shaka Zulu had over his tribe, the military prowess of the Zulu tribe, and the land taken by white men. Shaka Zulu had absolute control over his tribe and territory, which spanned across present day KwaZulu/Natal area (King Shaka Zulu). Given Shaka’s iron grip on his nation, an attempted invasion of his lands or assimilation to Western culture would not be taken lightly. Not only would it destabilize the Zulu government, it would cause conflicts amongst the Zulu people, as some people would adopt more Western ways and others remain traditional. The Zulu tribe was also comparatively advanced militarily, having
developed new weapons, such as the the aniklwa, and new battle tactics, for example, the bullhorn formation (Strobridge). Given this information, it is abundantly clear that the Zulu people had their own distinct culture, as well as their own lands, as evidenced by their strong military. The Zulu people fought for those lands, so they likely would not give them up without conflict occurring. This, in turn, would make it difficult for Europeans to divide Africa up arbitrarily, as they tried to do at the Berlin Conference. Overall, this would cause more conflict on both the European and African sides, as the Europeans will face a great deal of resistance from Africans if they try to rework borders without any African input. In 1825, Lieutenant James King and other white colonists were granted land in the Port Natal area, where they established a settlement (King Shaka Zulu). Through this, the fact that white people were taking and settling on previously Zulu land without regard to the impact it may have is made very obvious. The missionary work and assimilation that would take place shortly thereafter would undermine not only the Zulu traditions, but the country’s stability as a whole. The divisions imperialism would cause could pit Zulu tradition and European values against each other, ultimately causing major conflict. Given a that European values prevail, Zulu culture would presumably become obsolete, along with the history of the tribe, as European ways become more and more prevalent. In any event, the Zulu tribe and culture, along with Africa as a whole, would be negatively affected by imperialism.
developed new weapons, such as the the aniklwa, and new battle tactics, for example, the bullhorn formation (Strobridge). Given this information, it is abundantly clear that the Zulu people had their own distinct culture, as well as their own lands, as evidenced by their strong military. The Zulu people fought for those lands, so they likely would not give them up without conflict occurring. This, in turn, would make it difficult for Europeans to divide Africa up arbitrarily, as they tried to do at the Berlin Conference. Overall, this would cause more conflict on both the European and African sides, as the Europeans will face a great deal of resistance from Africans if they try to rework borders without any African input. In 1825, Lieutenant James King and other white colonists were granted land in the Port Natal area, where they established a settlement (King Shaka Zulu). Through this, the fact that white people were taking and settling on previously Zulu land without regard to the impact it may have is made very obvious. The missionary work and assimilation that would take place shortly thereafter would undermine not only the Zulu traditions, but the country’s stability as a whole. The divisions imperialism would cause could pit Zulu tradition and European values against each other, ultimately causing major conflict. Given a that European values prevail, Zulu culture would presumably become obsolete, along with the history of the tribe, as European ways become more and more prevalent. In any event, the Zulu tribe and culture, along with Africa as a whole, would be negatively affected by imperialism.