the difference between critics of colonialism between Asia and Africa

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The Differences in Critics of Colonialism between Africa and Asia
The traditions and heritages in the modern African and Asian countries are a mixture of practices exercised by the natives and the descendants of the European colonialists. Both the Asia and African countries were the highly colonized regions around the world owing to their then illiteracy and lack of active forces to shun away imperials. Although the colonialists may have similar motives, critics indicate that countries in the two continents dealt with the issues differently. The effort to decolonize themselves took different course and time span depending on the countries’ strength and determination. However, even despite the absence of the corporeal colonization, the independence brought in new changes part of which is a new form of colonialism that does not call for the physical presence. Some of the countries advanced from the colonizers and took it as a lesson to manage succeeding regimes, but others are still struggling with retrogressive rulings, civil wars, economic downfalls and western constitutions. While decolonization transformed the relationships amongst the natives, and between politics and societies, the experience is utterly different between the Asians and Africans.
Decolonization and the third world independence movements took place due to varying complex reasons and differed from one country to the other. There are three elements, however, that played a central role in the process.

These were the people’s quest for freedom, the onset of the Second World War which revealed that the colonizers were not invulnerable and increased focus on anti-colonialism in global arenas like the United Nations. Nonetheless, this did not bar the westerners from fighting for resource and control over Asian and African countries. Asia was initially colonized by the Portuguese who were zealous about seizing some parts of India and Persian Gulf. They sought to establish a monopolistic trade by evicting the local traders or coercing them to pay excessive customs duties for safe passages. Later, French, English and Dutch traders moved in to compete with the Portuguese over the textiles, trade routes and factories. However, their entry was not welcomed by the active Asians organizations, especially in India. The locals demanded silver and gold from the Europeans and maintained control over the administrative rulings. It was only after Mughal’s Empire disintegrated that British took control until independence was earned in 1947. The freedom was gained through peaceful fights between the Asians and Great Britain. As opposed to Asia, African countries attracted many colonialists due to lands, natural resources and black trade. Most countries succumbed to the rule of the westerners easily. The entry of European colonialists was accelerated by the introduction of missionary groups, treaties with local ruler and enticing trinkets in exchange for lands. The primary colonizers were Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, and Italy. Unlike the in Asia, most African countries gained independence after 1950 through bloody combats with the British settlers.
According to Talton(1-3), African countries weaknesses lied in the lack of trained personnel, finance and ammunitions but more from the European colonial strategies and development enticements. Whether culturally or politically, by the time the European political control gave in to African’s consistent push for freedom except in South Africa, it was evident that their legacy of dominance was impacted by their stronger political infrastructures, trade networks, trained forces, economies and sophisticated technologies that Africans could only yearn for. The African could not unite and fight like a congress in India. The establishment of the Indian National Congress accelerated their struggle for independence and controlled the rate of physical fights. As a result, they peacefully negotiated their freedom from the Portuguese a move that did not affect their economy and trade. On the contrary, the involvement of the Soviet in Africa created further problems through the cold war. It established pro-East and pro-West movements that created unacceptable middle grounds for peaceful reconciliations to take place. Eventually, most of the African assumed nonaligned standings and ended up deprived of the freedom to reshape their political and economic downfalls. The wars only left wounded economies in developing countries whose succeeding internal and external politics could only be established congruent to the colonial vigilance against communist and socialist influences.
The decolonization left African countries disintegrated and discriminated by the Western colonizers. This was a way to continue their rule in what is referred to as neocolonialism. According to Boahen (510), the colonial nationalism and European imperialism introduced rival methodologies to progress beneficial linear and dramatic transitions but static and counterproductive western cultures that that promote limitless but dynamic modernism. Boahen states that “the unsympathetic and uncomprehending imperialists shattered the idyllic world of colonial peoples leaving in its place turmoil, instability and uncertainty” (511). It means that in Africa, the imperialist established a new form of colonialism where they would continue ruling indirectly through mutual dependence between them and the host countries. The Africans were brainwashed with the belief that their traditional societies were entirely antithetical to modern tenets which made them disband their heritages and adopt the western ones. The beneficiaries are the European cultures who enjoy the control of economies and continue to rule over Africans despite having freedom. There is continued discrimination in the level of engagement in trades, technological advancements and ability to form a standard decision. In most cases, African countries continue to follow the constitution introduced by the colonial powers meaning that they are still the ruling nations although indirectly. As opposed to Africa, the revolution in Asia brought new developments. According to Susan (41), when the colonies got independence in Asia, they took over the entire operations including factories, lands and trades. They dictated their tariffs and quotas and redefined the industrialization process. Most had received a negotiated democracy that left little changes in their traditions and norms. This makes most of the Asian countries entirely developed and free from discrimination by the European countries. They barely depend on the Imperials as they established their constitutions. However, the wealthy expatriates, in a bid to prevent the developing Asian countries from developing, signed some trade treaties and tariffs such as the GAIT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trades). Its primary objective was to allow each other “most favoured nation status” (44). These included no or few tariffs, and that the borders be kept open for free flow of goods. This is what made the Asian countries unite and develop independently.
One significant difference between Asia and Africa on decolonization and during the third world independence is the changes in peoples’ rights. Before the colonial era, most cultures Africa and Asia respected the hierarchy of command in family structures. This dictated that the women and children could not take direct leadership roles in the society. In Africa, colonization brought about disarticulation in the provision of women rights and the ruling pattern. According to Ocheni and Nwankwo (52), decolonization liberated even the women who claimed equal citizenship. Since independence, many countries have experienced fair contests between men and females in the political and leadership roles. Women have rights to vote, education and can work in similar positions like men. According to Berger (3), women movements in Africa predated the Europe and America’s feminist movements of the 1970s. Their outcries have broken even and are now heard all over the continent. The only challenges are the introduction of social classes that the African leaders were bourgeois to maintain. Even in the recent contemporary times, economic and other resources are not shared equally between the males and females. Women are still considered less powerful and influential in most countries. Most of the Asian countries have continued with their traditional culture even after independence. Women are denied some rights such as ownership of property, leadership, involvement in politics and voting. In some countries like Pakistan, they are denied rights to education and can only do some specific duties. According to Susan (5), societal discrimination is still a problem in the Asian Muslim countries. Women have not yet received ultimate recognition and continue to perform domestic roles.
It is evident that similar powers colonized both the Asian and African countries. However, the regimes took different courses depending on the preparedness and the colonists. Although all the countries are utterly free of the direct imperialism, effects are more evident in Africa than Asia. The British Empires revitalized the entire African culture in a way they will keep reigning to date. Asia and Africa will thus continue to differ culturally, economically and politically as long as the later will not emancipate from the direct colonial bonds.
Works Cited
Boahen, A.A. General History of Africa. London: Currey, 1990. Print.
Berger, Iris. “Women And Social Movements, International: Decolonizing Women’S Activism: Africa in the Transformation of International Women’s Movements”. Wasi.Alexander street.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Nov. 2016.
Ochen, Stephen and Basil C. Nwankwo. Analysis of Colonialism And Its Impact In Africa. Canada: N.p., 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2016. Cross-Cultural Communications.
Gage, Susan. Colonialism in Asia. Victoria, B.C.: Victoria International Development Education Association, 1993. Print.
Talton, Benjamin. “The Challenge of Decolonization In Africa”. Exhibitions.nypl.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Nov. 2016.