Maybe this is a bad example, but if a huge oil reserve was found under the whole state of Utah that had billions of gallons of recoverable oil, would we allow ourselves to be thrown out of the state with nothing to show for it?
I would think that since the gold and land and other resources were in Africa the natives should have been able to say "Hey if you want all of this stuff you have to pay us for it!" Of course this is a twenty-first century American view of things and the reality was far from this. The natives tried to hold on to their land and not let the newcomers take over, but they were unsuccessful. So I have been trying to think about why the natives weren't able to use what they had as leverage to benefit themselves and maintain control. Maybe it was the native's lack of a strong central power. They lived in small groups and even wared amongst themselves. Would military power have been their only hope? Or maybe they didn't realize the leverage they had because their culture and mentality did not view those resources as a source of wealth and power like Europeans did. I think this is important because in my opinion the people that should have control over the resources and access to the wealth of the country are being deprived of it. I think this is true in many nations in the world. I would love to hear your ideas on the matter.
"Guns, Germs, and Steel" (at least that's what Jared Diamond thinks). That's the title of a book (and documentary) that tries to explain that very question you asked Bill: Why were Europeans able to take over the world and steal everyone else's resources? Here's the first part of the documentary:
ReplyDeleteI guess that video didn't embed. I'll start a new thread for it
ReplyDeleteWhen I was reading your post a scene from "Seven years in Tibet" popped into my head. When the Chinese government decided to reclaim Tibet, the people in Tibet made an attempt to defend themselves. It was difficult because violence was not a part of their customs. They showed up to war with out of date guns, bow and arrows, and anything else they could round up. The Chinese were much more highly equipped. It was not too difficult to wipe out bow and arrow shooters with a gun. Anyways I think with Africa it's like you said, because of the culture and mentality many people in Africa did not view those resources as a source of wealth and power like Europeans. Also the culture plays a part in the type of military, which was never a match for the Europeans. Anyways I agree the natives should have control over the resources in their land.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, it is really frustrating to see the indigenous people being deprived of their own natural resources, while also being exploited. It is interesting to think about how much cultural difference plays into it. You made the point that maybe they didn't realize how much leverage they had because their culture viewed wealth differently than the Europeans did. It's a mystery to me why Europe had so much control over the world, not just over the resources and wealth--but the mind of the world. It seems that the European powers decided what wealth was, and what was good, and what wasn't. I'll have to read that book Guns, Germs, and Steel, I've heard a lot about it, and maybe it would answer a lot of the questions that I have!
ReplyDeleteYour post got me thinking, the control over Africa's resources seems like a lose lose situation. The Europeans came in and took control over Africa's resources, majorly exploiting the land and the people that didn't belong to them, but I think you need to also look at the governments throughout Africa today. Omar al-Bashir the President of Sudan for the past 20 years has exploited the very people and land he was elected to govern. The president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe is accused of collapsing Zimbabwe's economy over the past 30 years. He enjoys the wealth of the country while the majority of his people are starving. Corrupt governments and leaders are currently doing exactly what the Europeans did initially, they are exploiting the resources and people of Africa for their own personal gain. I think this makes it difficult in determining who is best suited for controlling Africa's resources. I do not agree with how the Europeans came into Africa, but it makes me wonder if they would have worked more with the African's in helping them cultivate their resources ultimately benefiting both the Europeans and Africans, if Africa would be any different today.
ReplyDeleteTaylor, that is a great insight that I had not thought about. Thank you! I guess you can't say that this is something specific to Europeans or Americans or whomever, but rather a mentality of all men everywhere that needs to change in order for justice and opportunity to survive.
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