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Colonialism: The Good, The Bad, and The Dirty
Divina Mongaya
School of Community Studies, Bow Valley College
HMSV1102: Indigenous History, Identity and Culture
Prof. Miriam Perry
February 13, 2022
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Colonialism: The Good, The Bad, and The Dirty
Commonly, the simple definition of colonialism, per the Oxford Dictionary, is the act of
lodging among and demanding control over indigenous people in a certain area or location. More
broadly, colonialism is the act of a dominant country assuming full or partial political control of
an inferior country and occupying it with settlers to profit from its resources and economy.
(Betts, n.d.) Traditions, language, culture, and history are being impacted by detrimental loss as a
result of the dominating country's control because colonizers are injecting their very own ways
of living and making it a standard that should be followed. To avoid confusion, colonialism and
imperialism are two different ways of practice since colonialism is the practice of a country
conquering and ruling over other countries, whilst imperialism entails establishing an empire,
expanding into neighboring regions, and extending one's dominance far and wide. Following the
subject of colonialism, this paper will discuss the good, the bad, and the dirty perspectives of
colonialism.
From a good perspective, colonialism somewhat enabled the advancement of
underdeveloped countries. For example. during the reign of the Spanish Colonization in the
Philippines, religion, mainly Roman Catholicism, was a massive influence on Filipino Culture
due to its enormous impact on the Filipino’s lifestyle. After the Spanish reign came the American
reign during the Second World War in where the Philippines benefited through the influence of
clothing and food. America improved the economy and introduced democracy in the government
system in the Philippines, resulting in greater civic engagement and financial advantages for
Filipinos. By looking at the bright side, many countries generally benefited because of
colonialism due to opportunities given by the development and advancement of lifestyle which
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enabled multiple people to work for a living. However, not everything about colonialism is
bright and shiny.
From a bad perspective, colonialism depleted natural resources, developed capitalism,
sparked urbanization, and drastically changed social systems. Even though colonialism had a
positive impact on a country’s economy or lifestyle, the liabilities do not outweigh the benefits.
In Africa, ethnic turmoil, poverty, immense economic exploitation, political disadvantage, and
systematic programs aimed at instilling a sense of social and racial inferiority were all
experienced by them. Colonialism prevented Africa from becoming industrialized. (IvyPanda,
2020) The international division of labor assigned Africa the role of producing primary goods or
raw materials. Colonialism fostered and exacerbated the class conflict, tribalism, and ethnicity
within African colonies. Most of all, one of the most damaging effects of colonialism in Africa
has been to force most Africans to believe that they are subordinates, a lower being to their
colonizers, which lowered their morale and hope to fight for their rights and freedom.
Furthermore, because of British colonial exploitation, India faced total market domination since
high tariffs were imposed on Indian goods exported to foreign markets which made the demand
for Indian products decline which resulted in substantial losses. (Kwatiah, n.d.) Not to mention,
heavy taxes were imposed on the people, but they cannot do much about the issue because unity
was not present within the citizens. The British and European Colonialism’s impact on many
third-world countries was horrendous. However, its terrorizing force does not end here.
From a dirty perspective, environmental degradation, disease spread, economic
instability, ethnic rivalries, and human rights violations are all consequences of colonialism.
Between the arrival of the first Europeans in 1492 and the Victorian era, the indigenous
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population of the New World declined by at least 90%. Aside from the conquistadors' killing of
those who dared to oppose them, terrible diseases that are incurable, spread through a
hemisphere of people with no immunity defense against said diseases were the cause to the tens
of millions who died. The negative impact of colonialism on public health is the introduction of
non-native diseases, the facilitation of disease spread, and the extraction of wealth from
indigenous people. Indigenous populations were devastated as a result of trade routes and New
World conquests since new pathogens and diseases were not the only ones who welcomed them.
To conclude, Colonialism does not necessarily benefit a country. Colonialism would be
considered a great benefit to a country if the people within it tolerates the influences of the
colonizers. However, not all dominant countries that opt for colonialism have the same agenda
for an inferior country. The purpose of colonialism is for the dominant country to assume power
in an inferior country to benefit their motherland. The colonizers overall do not care what
happens to the country. If it’s for the betterment of their country, they would overexploit the
minerals, livestock, and resources that their country mainly lacks. It may be true that colonialism
may benefit a country, but the traditions and cultures that the colonized country will be losing, in
the long run, is a greater thing to be considered since these unique lifestyles are what
characterizes and calls them a country.
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