Imperialism and South Africa

Imperialism’s Effect on South Africa Imperialism was a movement that affected all parts of the world, beginning as early as the 19th century. Wealthy and established nations would annex and take control of underdeveloped nations and civilize them. This may sound good in theory, but Imperialism seemed to take advantage of the so-called “inferior” nations more than truly help them. The economic superpowers seized the land of the territories they thought to be subordinate, using it as trading depots, an outlet to gain natural resources, and to civilize the native people. These three factors continued to be a main staple in society of South Africa even after imperialism ended and it was an independent nation. Racial segregation was extreme, and it all stemmed from imperialistic qualities left from those such as Ferry and Paton. Qualities assumed from imperialistic times had a lasting negative effect on South Africa, leading to racial segregation and a sense of inferiority in the black population during the second half of the 20th century.
At the outset, imperialism has an extensive background that affected all parts of the world, including South Africa, the New Hebrides, Tunisia and Madagascar. The economic superpowers- England, France, the U.S.S.R, the United States, Portugal, and several other European nations- began to expand their empires. Areas of primitiveness that were rich in valuable natural resources were obvious and popular targets for expansion (Notes 10/25). This soon became a race to see which countries could annex as much land as possible, and in the case of Africa, the competition soon became known as the “Scramble for Africa”.
Yet why was this land so valuable? Ferry said it best when he talked about reasoning behind colonial expansion. The main goals behind imperialism were to open up trade routes, gain land and therefore the natural resources found there, and to civilize the subordinate people that populated the regions (Ferry 1-2).