How Europe Underdeveloped Africa free essay sample

Rodney was born in Guyana, South America in 1 942 where only thirty-eight years later he was assassinated by the Guyana government. Fortunately, Rodney was a bright and driven individual who left behind a great deal of valuable studies. He spent the bulk of his life traveling and was known around the world as an activist and scholar.Rodney studied costly in Jamaica and London but also spent time as a significant activist in the Black Power movement through the Caribbean and North America. Rodney was the author of many books, which explored various areas of Africa but mostly pertaining to Africans history, economy, wars, and government Exposing controversial topics was common work for Rodney. In efforts to help the people of Guyana and other parts of Africa, he worked to uncover the corrupt ways of the government.According to close friends Rodney was aware of the dangers of his work and choice to move back to Guyana but he dad a commitment to the liberation and development of his people. We will write a custom essay sample on How Europe Underdeveloped Africa or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Since his death Rodney has continually been remembered through his works and the numerous awards given on his behalf. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa explores several avenues of how Africa was underdeveloped because of Europeans. Rodney aims to present a clear and truthful explanation as to why Africa is less successful than most of the world. Chapter one explains underdevelopment as being an unequal comparison in the social and economic development of countries.To fully understand the following chapters it is necessary to have a clear grasp that Africa was developing but due to restrictions and exploitation from Europe, Africa became underdeveloped in comparison to other countries. From there Rodney explains the history of Africa and the times during the 1 5th century when Africans economy was rapidly growing. He also includes the contribution Africa made to help Europe during the pre-colonial era. Rodney then proposes his main argument that the slave trade and exploitation of Africa by the European powers were the main contributors to Africans underdevelopment. The thesis of this book is that Africa first and foremost holds great responsibility for their development but Europe is who actively exploited Africa in order to prosper from their underdevelopment. Africa has been based on an imperialist system, which is an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationship. The imperialist system contributed to the economic hindrance by making it challenging for Africa to produce resources for their continent and by draining the wealth. The economic and power issues present within Africa made it easier for European capitalists to exploit Africa.Capitalists thrive off of ownership and production for profit. Europeans saw Africa as a naive society, thus they took an opportunity to control leadership and the production of goods for a profit through their capitalist background. Accomplices within Africa, Europe and the United States partook in the exploitation and therefore the underdevelopment of Africa. The most significant and brutal contribution of Europe to Africans underdevelopment was the slave trade. Europeans came into Africa and destroyed the culture and communities that were home to African peoples.They took the people, whom were working hard to build Africa, to use for their own good. Many features of European society and economy can be contributed to the slave trade such as shipping, insurance, capitalist agriculture, technology, manufacturing, and trans-national economic links in Europe. Europeans used Africans to help build their economy and eventually build America. As Europe used the slave trade to grow and become a more prosperous country, across the water Africa was falling apart. The slave trade destroyed Africans economic and social system. The most immediate effect was the drastic decline in the African population. A large majority of remaining Africans began to participate in slave hunting as well as gathering other items of trade for the Europeans. The African community was built on family but was abolished through the trade when neighbors, friends, and family sold each other in order to survive. The local agriculture and technologies in Africa were neglected because of the great focus put towards pleasing the Europeans and simply surviving. One of the maximum impacts of the trade and influences from Europeans as the psychological effect it had on Africans.Africans were torn apart as a community and devastated as a race. In order to maintain control of Africans, Europeans suggested that their achievement came from the fact God wanted whites to be successful. Due to cultural and psychological crisis from the abuse of Europeans, Africans and most of the world accept at least part of what Europeans preached. The view that whites are superior causes Africans to doubt themselves, their race, and their country. As a result, Africans were lacking the psychological stamina to overcome the past and find success.The exploitation of Africa grew to a higher degree as Europeans took control of oceanic trade routes, Europeans possessed superior vessels and cannons, which gave them control of the waterways and the control over trade. Africa is naturally a very rich land with mineral wealth and climate suitable for successful agriculture. Unfortunately the wealth produced was not retained in Africa but used for European benefit. Africa was blind to the international trade taking place between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Although in order to transport goods, Europeans used African labor and natural sources.The trading relationship between Africa and Europe is one of unequal exchange and exploitation. As time passed and Europe started to help colonize Africa it was portrayed that triumph would equalize. This however was not the case. The colonial government built roads, schools, hospitals, and the like that were supposed to aid the African community. These services were not what the African community needed at this time. The colonial government came in and set Africa up in the manner they deemed appropriate. Africa needed social services and this was no surprise or unknown.Once Europe began to assist Africa, the white community living in Africa received much of the assistance. It was clear that the poor European settlers wanted to enjoy luxury rise in Africa and with the aid of social services during colonialism they were able to do so. The amenities provided during this time do not represent the relief that Africans received because the majority was given to the white settlers. Well into the 21st century Europe has tried to depict the supposed assistance that they have provided to Africa as a beacon of equality. Unfortunately, all of that as a facade, doing more harm than good.Walter Rodney was a well-versed writer and activist. Rodney gathered extensive research identifying causes and outcomes of historical uproar that took place in Africa. Rodney also used primary sources from Europeans and African documents. He also used secondary sources from other historians throughout both European and African history. I have become a huge fan of Walter Rodney after reading this book. The way that he writes and describes history is easily understandable. He includes important and entertaining detail when explaining a situation.His target audience would be scholars and students, but his work would benefit the general public as well. The book is appropriate for both Africans and Americans alike to grasp an understanding of world history. I also found the text to be disturbing by discovering how mankind can deliberately hold each other back in order to be successful. It is terrifying to realize how corrupt the world is. Overall I enjoyed the book, learned a great deal about European, African, and world history, and would definitely recommend this book in the future. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa free essay sample Details of traditional Igbo government and social structure varied from place to place throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but its characteristic nature remained the same. The basic unit of Igbo life was the village group, and the most universal institution was the role of the family head. This was usually the oldest man of the oldest surviving generation. His role primarily involved settling family disputes, and because he controlled the channel of communication with the all-important ancestors, he commanded great respect and reverence. In some areas the government of chiefs and elders was composed of a governing age grade, in others the council of elders was made up of the oldest members of particular families. Titles played a major part in this society. There was a hierarchy of ascending titles that were to be taken in order, accompanied by an ascending scale of payments. The system acted as a simple form of social security, in that those who acquired titles paid a particular fee, and then were entitled to share in the payments of those who later acquired titles. We will write a custom essay sample on How Europe Underdeveloped Africa or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A series of intense rituals were to be undertaken before acquiring a title, which was considered a symbol of character as well as of success. A titled man’s life was dominated by numerous religious restrictions, and it was expected that these would be strictly adhered to. A few Igbo states, such as Aboh and Onitsha, which had a tradition of origin from elsewhere, were ruled by kings, which were regarded as sacred and lived in ritual seclusion. However, the decisions taken by these kings were by no means final, they were often challenged and overruled by other titled men with whom they were required to consult. In general, however, kingship was an unfamiliar concept to the majority of Igbos. A political institution that was widespread but not universal was that of the age-grade. Each age-grade was responsible for specific areas of community service, and this often promoted rivalry between the groups. This was actually a valuable instrument of social control, in that in order to preserve the good name of their age-group, its members became involved in disciplining and restraining those who tended to cause trouble within the community. Secret societies were also an instrument of social control. Their members would appear at night, masked, in the guise of supernatural beings. Any offenders in the community would be denounced. The anonymity of the members and their supernatural aura meant that this whole performance was taken with great seriousness. Usually, the kinds of decisions that had to be made in traditional Igbo societies were either judicial or connected with relations with other groups. In a judicial case, it was the responsibility of the lineage head to try to settle the matter before bringing it to the elders, who would hear the case in public. A decision that affected the whole town, such as the declaration of war, would generally be put to all the free adult males of the town. The nature of these institutions was extremely flexible for example, a man who had proven his skills at war in the past might be selected to lead the people through this time of crisis, yet would be expected to relinquish this leadership once the time of crisis was past. If the facts of a case were unclear, then in some instances the Igbo would turn to an oracle or to divination. Igboland possessed a regional network of oracles, such as the  Agbala  of Awku, or the  Ibibi Ukpabe  at Arochukwu. These oracles claimed to ascertain the truth of every matter, and were dependent on visitors from every part of Igboland. They rested on deliberate deception and were extremely expensive, far beyond the reach of the poor. However, their good reputation did depend on the fairness of their judgements, which kept their tendency for exploitation in check. Perhaps it was the small scale of their political institutions that made Igboland such a good example of what a democracy should be. Some of the first European visitors to this region were struck by the extent to which democracy was truly practised. A combination of popular participation and real respect for those with ability and experience, led to the smooth running of political institutions. On a smaller scale, Igbo families generally lived in compounds, each a small segment of the village group. The head of the compound was usually the oldest male and within each compound were clusters of huts belonging to different domestic groups. The head of each domestic group is responsible for its members. In Igbo society, seniority by age regulated social placement. Married life was the normal condition for adults, and polygamy for the men was the ideal in fact it acted as an important indication of status. Wives were ranked according to the order in which they married the common husband. Another important feature of Igbo kinship apart from the precedence given to the male, is the idea of seniority by birth. The first male and female children of the domestic group, irrespective of the ranking of their mothers, were given special status, and occupied very important and esponsible social positions in the family. One of the most important distinctions the Igbo make in their status system is that between  Diala  and non-Diala. The  Diala  is a freeborn, a full citizen, whose status at birth is symbolized by the burial of his umbilical cord, preferably at the foot of an oil palm tree. A  Diala  is free to attempt to gain a title, the only barrier to social climbing being the m embership fees that these institutions demand. In contrast, theOhu  was a slave who had very few rights. However, these slaves were more often as not absorbed into the lineage of the master they served, becoming their companions and often marrying their daughters. An  Osu  was a cult-slave; they were a people hated and despised , and to refer to a  Diala  or an  Ohu  as an  Osu  was the gravest of insults. The  Osu  system of slavery originated from the Owerri-Okigwi region. The  Diala  belief is that the  Osu  are descended from a people who, at the recommendation of a diviner, were dedicated to a deity, in order that they may become his servitor. A particular village, lineage or individual that had been experiencing illness or misfortune would â€Å"dedicate† this slave to the deity, in the belief that the slave would then carry out the sins of the dedicator. The  Osu  were feared and hated because they reminded the  Diala  of their guilt. Unlike slaves, they could not be absorbed into their master’s lineage; on the other hand, they were protected by their deity from being sold or killed. The cult-slave status of the  Osu  was legally abolished by the Eastern Nigerian Government in 1956.