Ch 18 - Module 2

* Chapter 18 focusses on the second wave of colonialism. This focuses on the colonial encounters in Asia, Africa, and Oceana. 


3. What contributed to changing European views of Asians and Africans in the 19^thcentury?

As the 19th century progressed, European views of Asians and Africans developed to an attitude of superiority over these other races. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Europe played a large role in Europe's 19th century expansion. The new wealth that Europe had come upon led to extreme arrogance of the Europeans that was also combined with the long standing belief that Europeans has religious superiority over Asians and Africans. Additionally, new modern science inflicted racism upon that effected the way Asians and Africans were viewed. This lens of racism was expressed in terms of science, so the belief was widespread. This European belief that they were superior and everybody else was inferior led to ideas that it was the Europeans duty to civilize these other inferior nations. Essentially, with the creation of the industrial age, Europeans became arrogant and looked down on every other culture that was different from them.

11. How did cash crop agriculture transform the lives of colonized peoples?

Cash crop agriculture transformed the lives of colonized people, because the flow of money had never been this prominent before. In some regions like the Burma and Gold Coast, colonial promotion of cash crops for trade benefited the farmers who participated in this crop for trade system. However, in other regions such as the Netherlands East Indies, the process of cash crop agriculture was forced upon the local population by the colonial powerhouses. This was a great burden upon the people and played a part in contributing to a wave of famines. Additionally, cash crop farming in the French-ruled Vietnam had important environmental consequences. It destroyed forests and swamp lands. This took away the fish that supplemented the local diets of people. Ultimately, cash crop agriculture had some benefits for local farmers in certain regions, but in other regions this cash crop agriculture was detrimental to the environment and local populations. 

13. How were the lives of African women in particular altered by colonial economies?

Prior to colonization, African women were responsible for planting, weeding, and harvesting along with food preparation and child care. The were active farmers, also having the responsibility to feed their own families. These women were also sometimes involved in local trading. Women, will still subordinate to men, clearly has some economic responsibility. However, following colonization, the lived of these African women started to become much different than their male counterparts. The men were more focused on cash crop producing while the females took over the role of managing the domestic economy and producing food for subsistence. This is because the role of cash crops forced the men to migrate to the cities, leaving these women to take on tasks that were historically male dominated. African men and African women lived in completely different worlds, with one focused on the cities and working wages, while the other was focused on village life and subsistence agriculture. Women would seek closer relationships with their families of birth instead of with their absent husbands. Overall, the colonial economies greatly changed the women's role in society and increased their role in production for their villages.