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Review on the Relationship between Colonialism and Underdevelopment within
African Nations
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Institution
Date

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Review on the Relationship between Colonialism and Underdevelopment within
African Nations
Introduction
The review in this study encompasses the Research Question on the Relationship between
Colonialism and Underdevelopment in African Nations, as well as the actual impacts on its
citizens. Colonialism includes all types of oppression, control amongst groups, and exploitation.
Colonialism was defined as attempts to establish borders to exercise political control and
economic exploitation over the regions inside those limits. The enormous disparity between
Africa and other continents cannot be linked to a single event in the last century. It has been an
ongoing trend that has negatively impacted other continents at the expense of Africa. The
economic difference may be traced back to European colonization many centuries ago. The
divide between advanced and developing nations was small. The gap between developed and
developing nations is currently very great. Africa's colonialism affected history indelibly. The
practice of Colonialism in Africa significantly impacted the continent's economic, social, and
political growth, all of which contributed to Africa's current state of underdevelopment.
Overview of the Relationship between Colonialism and Underdevelopment
Colonialism and underdevelopment in African actions have a complex relationship.
Mekoa (2019) noted how several causes contribute to Africa's underdevelopment, including the
colonial legacy, the continued consequences of globalization, and the continent's internal
challenges. Understanding the link between Colonialism and underdevelopment in Africa is
likely most influenced by the legacy of Colonialism. Colonialism had various detrimental
consequences on the continent, including the destruction of native civilizations, the plunder of

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natural resources, and the imposition of Western ideals and institutions. These consequences
have caused several issues in Africa, such as political instability, economic inequality, and a lack
of growth.
Colonialism's transformation of Africa's governmental structure affected the continent's
way of thinking and cultural evolution. In conjunction with the economic policies that followed
Colonialism, the slave trade profoundly altered the economic position and rate of development.
Before colonization, Africa was expanding economically, particularly in trade. The objective of
Colonialism was to utilize the colonial powers' physical, human, and economic resources.
The colonization of Africa also affected contemporary Africans' social lives and
lifestyles. Maseland (2018) noted that The European powers significantly impacted the African
way of life, significantly interfering with it. As a continent, Africa made the transition from a
more casual to a more formal educational system. The decline of African educational systems
opened the way for the spread of Western education. Africans were relegated to manual labor on
farms instead of being assigned to operations to enhance their technology, which harmed
technological advancement. Before Colonialism, Africans had well-defined cultural traditions,
which altered the division of Africa; thus, most Africans had to abandon their customs. Mekoa, I.
(2019) noted how after Colonialism, African leaders were exposed to a centralized type of
government, which transformed them into lifelong tyrants. The authorities embraced the
autocratic leadership style prevalent in many African states today. In politics, colonization is the
underlying reason for the multiparty systems that exist in many nations today. The impact of
Colonialism on Africa's economic, social, and political growth has contributed to the current
state of underdevelopment.
Economic impacts

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Colonialism impacted Africa's economic growth. Colonialism is why Africa lags behind
other continents. Heldring & Robinson (2017) stated that there is a substantial economic link
between colonialism and underdevelopment in African countries. Former European colonies in
Africa tend to be far less developed than their former colonial masters. This is the result of
several reasons, including the exploitation of natural resources, the forced labor of Africans, and
the export of African slaves. Most Africans worked on colonial coffee and tea plantations in their
country and were not compensated. Colonial exploitation of Africans slowed Africa's progress.
Some Africans were carried as slaves to colonial countries. Evacuating Africans as enslaved
people slowed Africa's economy compared to other continents.
Second, colonialists brought western education to Africa. Mamdani (2018) noted that the
relationship between colonialism and underdevelopment in African states is clear. This is
evidenced by the fact that, despite gaining independence from their colonial masters, many
African nations continue to struggle with social and economic growth. Western education's
emptiness caused Africa's underdevelopment. The West's training was not coherent with African
culture, favored western cultures, and could not create economic growth in Africa. Colonial
education aimed to prevent the continent's technological basis from hampering industrialization.
Education was anti-ethical for industrial growth.
Africa's underdevelopment is rooted in its inadequate technical basis. Heldring &
Robinson (2017) noted that the colonialists' teaching weakened Africa's technological base.
Colonial education trained clerks, interpreters, artisans, and produce inspectors to utilize Africa's
riches. Digitalization made colonial culture helpful to Africans. The schooling was supposed to
afflict the African indigenous style of education and slow Africa's growth. Colonial education
promoted Western industries, not African industrialization. Before western schooling, Africans

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were good technologists using their environment's resources. Africans were skilled sculptors,
weavers, blacksmiths, miners, and carvers before colonization.
Furthermore, Colonialism devastated Africa's economy. Colonialism altered Africa's
economic structure. Disarticulating markets, transportation, commodities manufacturing, and
urbanization hindered African economic progress. Africans were affected by new job patterns.
Africans produced raw materials and distinctive products for colonial industry. Africa was
pressured to export products. Colonialists acquired inexpensive raw materials and sold produced
goods to Africans at excessive prices. Abuse creates Africa's poverty.
Heldring & Robinson (2017) noted how African products were fractured by Colonialism.
The colonials forced Africans to export. Africans were prevented from making local goods to
halt economic growth. Export diversification exacerbated food shortages in Africa, leading to
rising food prices and exploitation. Food costs were utilized to keep Africans poor. We still
exploit food. The Africans are used to selling cheap coffee to Europe. After export, raw materials
are sent to Africa at unaffordable rates. The colonialists exploited Africans' dietary enjoyment,
causing their economic decline.
Heldring & Robinson (2017) stated that Colonialism in Africa destroyed African
marketplaces, centers, and commerce. Most traditional African marketplaces served local needs.
Colonialism modified marketplaces to discourage regional growth and local product transactions.
Colonialists developed new markets for raw resources to be brought home to impede growth.
Overseas markets collapsed domestic markets, distorting African growth. Disarticulation
hindered African progress. Colonialism's exploitation in colonial markets slows Africa's growth.

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Colonialism distorted Africa's transport system development. The colonial transit network
did not connect rural and urban regions. Colonialists only built transit networks to link producing
zones with markets. They were designed to evacuate raw commodities to a colonialist-controlled
market for sale to their home nations. In colonial Africa, the rail and sea were constructed to
convey raw products to their destinations. The colonialists opposed road construction to prevent
locals from forming resistance groups. To prevent Africans from developing in their territories,
failure to develop streets was a strategy to ensure their loyalty to colonial powers.
Mamdani (2018) noted that Colonialism contributed to the premature integration of
African trade and economy into foreign markets. Successful globalization demands a well-
integrated internal process to minimize market abuse. Colonialism introduced Africa to the world
market before internal integration. Premature integration led to such success (Mamdani, 2018).
This explains why African marketplaces are weak. Most African marketplaces develop with
industrialized nation financing. Since losing their competitive edge, Africans do not enjoy a
global trade balance. The colonial export-import focus hurts Africa's economy. Most African
countries rely on loans, which slows economic progress.
Gnonhossou, & Anyanwu, noted how Colonialism ruined Africa's wealth. Colonial
Africans did not value subsurface minerals. Enslaved Africans mined for Europeans. Foreign ore
processing benefited Europe. Africa's mines drained. Depleted mines hindered Africa's economy.
Europe thrived. Africa's lag results. African resources benefited colonialists. Africa's mines are
depleted while Europe's are thriving, widening the disparity.
Colonialism also involves opposing African kings' economic authority. Since it was not in
the colonialists' goals, the British economy was not strengthened. Palm oil development
complicated colonial production procedures. British plantation workers were compelled to adopt

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inefficient methods to produce low-quality oils. Colonial rulers regulated colonial imports and
exports. African plantations' limited marketability led to colonial dependence. Africans relied on
colonizers, causing starvation. Inorganic farming is only used to produce western crops, which
cannot be used to prevent drought in Africa. Most of Africa exports but relies on aid food.
Social Impacts
Maseland (2018) stated that in terms of the social relationship between colonialism and
underdevelopment in African states, colonialism has played a significant role in the
underdevelopment of African nations. This has occurred through a variety of means, including
the introduction of Western ideas and values, and the destruction of traditional social structures
and processes. Africa's manner of life influenced how Africans lived. Colonialists split families
to enslave them. The colonialists oppressed Africans, affecting their social life. Colonialism was
supposed to empty Africans' minds so they would adopt western habits and culture. Colonialism
had a huge influence on Africans' lives and outlook on life.
Maseland (2018) noted how Colonialism's societal repercussions hampered Africans' way
of life. The Slave trade led to the transit of enslaved people. Gnonhossou, & Anyanwu, stated
that Slavery interfered with Africans' social lives, leading to more individuals feeling melancholy
away from their parents and grandparents. Colonialists defeated Africans via alienation. Africans
were isolated from one another, which is why many entered European nations during wartime.
Africans were distributed across continents as enslaved people, slowing their country's economic
progress. Africans residing in Europe help their nations' economies thrive. Alienation and
separation explain Africans' dispersal.

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Colonialism brought western education to Africa. Before colonization, Africans were
highly rigorous about their cultural origins. With colonization, Africans abandoned their customs
to follow western methods of living, such as clothing, respecting elders, and comprehending
cultural ideas from the past Furtado, C. (2021). People worried about hunting as a way of life and
went to white-collar occupations, ruining African traditions. Few children nowadays know their
ancestors' culture. In Africa, people have abandoned studying for the western lifestyle. Dress and
lifestyle have evolved.
Third, when Christianity was introduced, Africans ignored their traditional roots and
worship locations. Post-colonial missionaries introduced Christianity to Africa. People imitated
Christianity and forgot their customs. Today, religion unites individuals more than origin. In
Africa, most individuals have chosen Christianity and defined themselves by their faith rather
than their ancestry. Western missionaries founded churches and missions that induced Africans to
abandon their holy sites and join Christianity.
The colonists' leadership policy favored corrupt local elites. Colonialists introduced
social classes. Comprador bourgeoisie, petty bourgeoisie, and peasant were categories. Before
colonization, Africans had no monetary-based class distinctions. After colonization, several
social classes emerged. Colonialism weakened social bonds.
Mekoa (2019) notes how colonization interfered with Africans' life system. People from
rural regions relocated to cities for better pastures. After colonial exploitation, they could no
longer produce. People chose urban centers, which explains urban congestion today. The
majority of Africans live in cities.
Political impacts

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Mamdani (2018) stated that Colonialism shaped Africa's political landscape, which is still
present today. Colonialism is responsible for Africa's totalitarian political system (Mamdani,
2018). Colonial governmental rule varied. Every colony had its own, but dictatorships were the
norm. Second, Colonialism drives political ethnicity. African political systems are influenced by
ethnicity. Young, C. (2019) noted that the Ethnic divide during colonial periods excluded African
countries from political societies, causing tensions. Some ethnic groupings controlled colonial
legislatures. Certain factions dominate power, limiting growth. Today's African government is
still ethnically dominant.
African politics are plagued by enormous corruption that impedes growth. Bandeira
Jerónimo (2018) noted that Crimes date back to colonial times when public sector corruption was
widespread. Past corruption data show where corruption in our systems originated. Corruption
causes Africa's poverty and underdevelopment. Many African politicians use their positions to
amass a fortune. Young (2019) stated how Colonialism shaped the existing party system.
Politicians have impacted authority. Africans adopted the method of controlling their country
with political parties. African parties began in nondemocratic societal conditions. The political
dictatorship's colonial roots are obvious.
Strengths/weaknesses/gaps
Several sources of data exist to support the claim that colonialism directly caused Africa's
low levels of economic growth. One approach would be to demonstrate the positive effects of
colonial authority on the growth of African states. Another approach would be to demonstrate the
success of African nations in utilizing their natural riches to build prosperous economies in spite
of colonial domination. Colonialism has caused economies to become too dependent on a few
natural resources rather than diversifying their holdings. As a result, poverty, inequality, and

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career stagnation have all reached crisis proportions. The colonial era left many Africans feeling
helpless and resentful, which fueled violence and instability across the continent. Colonialism's
lasting effects, say some academics, are largely to blame for Africa's backwardness. As proof,
they highlight the exploitative economic strategies of colonial powers, the political instability
and violence that followed independence, and the method in which African countries were
integrated into the global economy. However, other academics contend that Africa was a
backwards continent before colonization and that the region has advanced significantly since
then. Many African countries have seen economic progress and development in recent years, so
they say the colonial powers shouldn't get the blame for Africa's issues. A gap of inequality exists
between the developed colonial powers and the developing African states. The colonialists loot
the African countries but put nothing back into their progress. As a result, many nations in Africa
have fallen into a cycle of poverty and underdevelopment.
Conclusion
Colonialists left Africa with social-political and economic progress adversely affected.
Colonialism is responsible for Africa's differences and underdevelopment. The colonists utilized
the available minerals and African goods to abandon the depleted mines. Colonialism's social
effects included alienating individuals from one another and interfering with religion and culture.
Colonialism's negative effects must be mitigated to promote the growth of African nations. More
studies based on hard numbers are needed to see if the colonial period really did cause Africa to
be so backwards economically. Moreover, the consequences of colonialism on distinct segments
of the African economy, such as agriculture, industry, and commerce, should be the subject of
further study. The influence of colonialism on Africa's political and social systems must also be
investigated. In future, a deeper examination of the economic history of colonialism in Africa

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might help in the comprehension of the current state of underdevelopment in many African
states. A study of the political history of colonialism in Africa would also provide insight into the
current state of underdevelopment in several African states. Finally, a study of the environmental
history of colonialism in Africa might help to comprehend the current state of underdevelopment
in many African countries.
References
Bandeira Jerónimo, M. (2018). Portuguese Colonialism in Africa. Oxford Research
Encyclopedia of African History. Retrieved from;

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https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acr
efore-9780190277734-e-183
Furtado, C. (2021). Underdevelopment and dependence: the fundamental connections. Review
of Political Economy, 33(1), 7-15.
Gnonhossou, S. M., & Anyanwu, O. E. Did colonialism distort African development?.
In Debating African Issues (pp. 38-52). Routledge.
Heldring, L., & Robinson, J. A. (2017). Colonialism and Development in Africa. Oxford
Handbooks retrieved from; https://books.google.co.ke/books?
id=QnlUDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Heldring,+L.,+%26+Robinson,+J.
+A.+(2017).
+Colonialism+and+Development+in+Africa.&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjevdzbpP
b6AhWmhP0HHefwAN0Q6AF6BAgBEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false
Mamdani, M. (2018). Citizen and subject: Contemporary Africa and the legacy of late
colonialism. Princeton University Press. Retrieved from;
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.23943/9781400889716/html
Maseland, R. (2018). Is colonialism history? The declining impact of colonial legacies on
African institutional and economic development. Journal of Institutional
Economics, 14(2), 259-287.
Mekoa, I. (2019). How Africa got into a mess: Colonial legacy, underdevelopment, corruption
And human rights violations in Africa. Journal of Reviews on Global economics, 8, 43-
52.
Young, C. (2019). The African colonial state and its political legacy. In The Precarious
Balance (pp. 25-66). Routledge.

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