19th century European Imperialism was predominantly negative.

Several negative consequences to Imperialism; Neo-Colonialism, socio-economic oppression, Informal Imperialism and international disparity, are all causal occurrences of nineteenth century Imperialism that are ongoing problems on a global scale today. Although the advancements of technology and industry which stem from Imperialism may be considered positive, any form of Imperialism is volatile and unacceptable in the modern world. The three main atrocities which make European Imperialism predominantly negative is 1) the oppression of native beliefs and culture, 2) unhealthy living conditions and 3) the mass exploitation of resources. The point of departure for defining Imperialism for the sake of this debate should be understood as the subordination of one society by another and the will that produces colonialism (Stuchtey). The two distinct forms of Imperialism are that of direct and indirect rule by the dominant society which maintains its rule over the colonized society through the means of colonization, political regulations and most importantly, commerce. The first form of Imperialism can be known through the doctrinated rule of the subjugated society. This is known as Formal Imperialism. Formal Imperialism involves the direct rule over a society through doctrines, territory and colonization. The origins of Formal Imperialism can be underpinned by the Treaty of Tordesillas by Spain and Portugal in 1494 (Stuchtey). This dictated the first European claim to hegemony and the will of Imperialism. Formal Imperialism can be concluded during the struggle to independence and unification of India in 1947. Imperialism, being defined only by the subordination of one society by another, can take the form of indirect rule. In this case, Informal Imperialism subdues the disciplined society to socio-economic rule absent of any official political, doctrinal and territorial declarations. We can relate twentieth century American Imperialism as the prime example of Informal Imperialism. Worldwide corporate involvement in Saudi-Arabia has influenced many changes to a multitude of foreign landscapes in the past thirty years of international relations (and has essentially driven American Industry since 1945). Collectively, the nineteenth century brought global expansion and industrialization. Europeans believed in the preservation and growth of new and old markets, and in accordance, the subjugation of lesser societies with the intention to improve both societies. (1) The British Empire held an idea of a "civilizing mission". Holding colonies in Australia, North America, the West Indies, India, Africa and the Pacific East, Britain believed that intervention with "inferior" societies could not only improve the hegemony of the British Empire, but also improve the conditions of those inferior societies. This caused an incredibly glorified apprehending/oppression of native beliefs and culture. Understanding David Livingstone"s three principles (a.k.a. The 3 c"s) can unravel the ethnocentric ideal of superiority over other societies. Livingstone stated that in order to successfully enforce this superior ideal, Britain must establish Commerce, Christianity and Civilisation for African natives (David). This assumes that Africa was completely absent of all three before British intervention. Through a delusion of ethnocentric superiority, the British began to enforce these three ideals in African colonies during the mid-nineteenth century. In an effort to emancipate, the British Empire and its reaches oppressed Africans by forcing these three principles to change native peoples unwillingly. Once Britain had gained a variety of successful colonies from Australia and India, the Brits used this initial growth as successful rationale for continuing overseas intervention. Britain adopted the idea of "trusteeship" when North American colonies gained independence from colonialists. The British had main intentions of keeping those independent countries as economical allies only so that the independent country recognizes itself as an extension of the mother country (Stuchtey). This can be traced back to Canada and in later years, Australia. This idea of "trusteeship" served as rationale for the continuation of oppressing African colonies with Livingstone"s three principles. The influence Christianity had contributed to the three principles during overseas affairs had negative influences within Imperialist borders. The civilizing mission was not only installed in foreign lands, but also integrated into British children at a young age. Christian altruism encouraged the acquisition of character as opposed to intelligence. Evangelicals taught British children for nearly a century that once you can control yourself, you can control others (Fanon.206). The integration of Social Darwinism in British society during the nineteenth century led to the chastisement of African native peoples (considered lesser breeds). The chastisement of Africans and mass delusion in everyday British life during the nineteenth century exposed an ethnocentric racism that should forever be deemed unacceptable. This demonstrated a negative characteristic of Imperialism. The pressure to expand Christian beliefs into children and foreign nations stemmed from international religious competition. Africa of the sixteenth through to the eighteenth centuries experienced many Muslims in Northern Africa who forced indigenous peoples into the slave trade. This led to an exaggerated thesis of the British Empire intervening into Africa to prevent Muslim conversion and market manipulation (Stuchtey). This initial religious competition favoured the European evangelical after the abolishment of slavery and industrialization during the 1830s. Once European industry and principles grew, African oppression grew as well. The multitude of occurrences involving Christian oppression and conversion of native peoples in accordance with Livingstone"s three principles have historically transformed into an unacceptable form of ethnocentric racism. This negativity exposed the pinnacle of how the Europeans oppressed the native beliefs and culture of Africa in the nineteenth century. (2) Utilizing ethnocentrism, native peoples became more useful as economic tools for making money than a true extension of a respectful mother country that supposedly believed in "trusteeship". Within European borders, explorers, journalist and most citizens had normalized the ideal that Empires needed to expand globally. This was due to the belief that Africa was a stretch of empty space waiting to be occupied by civilization and technology constructed through the magic of European industry (Hochschild.101). This belief can also be applied to the "New World" and the profitable markets installed in India a century earlier. This negative effect of Imperialism leads to a delusion of racial superiority and socio-economic oppression for indigenous peoples. Prior to Britain"s 1833 abolishment of slavery, all of her colonial territories were subject to some sort of forced labour. Millions of Africans were supplied to the slave trade by all surrounding countries - North Americans, Arabs and Europeans - during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Said.22). The mass transportation of indigenous Africans into the slave trade (subduing a whole race to forced labour for hundreds of years) can not only be viewed as a negative characteristic of Imperialism; but an excessive racist crime against humanity through ethnic cleansing and manipulation. The British Empire transported millions of African slaves over hundreds of years to its presiding colonies. Between 1562 and 1807, over three million slaves from were transported from Africa to America alone (David). This mass transportation also subdued native Africans to illness and psychological damage during long trips to a foreign land to provide labour. (3) Neo-Colonialism and modern day monopolies have proved that Imperialism still exists in 2016. Although we have abandoned most conventional aspects of Formal Imperialism, the characteristics which make Imperialism predominantly negative are still prevalent in modern day Africa. At last, African countries have all gained political independence, yet, reparations have not been made as socio-economic oppression continues to perpetuate African life through the mass exploitation of resources. When Metropolitans installed European market into African natives, there was no direct way of giving African nations complete economic autonomy once they decolonized. Frantz Fanon believed that decolonization is the origin of new, liberated men; that the thing - nation, society or man - that is colonized becomes a significant man through the very process of decolonization, independence, liberation and autonomy (Fanon.2). Political independence has ceased to provide true liberation and autonomy for African nations. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a revolutionary during the 1957 independence of Ghana, believed that although Imperial powers may relinquish the appearance of oppressive rule through the political recognition of the colonized country"s independence, they maintain their hegemony through the control of international commerce and socio-economic oppression (Azikiwe). Imperialism and its incredibly negative characteristics still exist in modern day Africa through socio-economic oppression that has grown from maintaining and improving those European mines and campaigns exercised into Africa so many years ago. Informal Imperialism has shown that true freedom and autonomy will not be experienced in Africa through political and ideological independence; only through economic and industrial affairs which equalize the quality of life Africans have failed to experience in comparison to Western lifestyles. Although Formal Imperialism was always bound to foreign policy of Western Colonial states, Informal Imperialism is exclusively attributed to economic control through foreign investments (Azikiwe). Modern day multinational monopolies, such as Glencore, have reaped the resources that have pressured African civilians to the same kind of socio-economic oppression African indigenous peoples have endured for several centuries. The corruption that Africa endures today is causal to Imperialism and any of its characteristics. The modern form of Imperialism - Informal Imperialism or indirect rule - shares the negative Imperialistic characteristics of socio-economic oppression and mass exploitation of resources. Consistent with Imperialism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, all African mines and industries are owned and operated by multinational corporations who earn billions reaping away resources with the likenesses of copper, rubber, cocoa, timber and diamond (Guldbrandsen). The multinational corporations who maintain strongholds in African industry set up subsidiaries in all nations which manipulate invested numbers in order to move profits to low taxed territories or mines to gain more profit. This is not an illegal form of tax evasion or tax reduction, but this method epitomizes an Imperialistic disregard for the financial needs and schedules for citizens of the inhibited society who must adhere to corporate interest or disinterest in a short period of time. In addition to this injustice, most corporations who partake in the mass exploitation of resources in developing countries earn profit that far exceeds those countries" GDP"s (Guldbrandsen). Further corruption can be seen in the displacement of profit and pollution numbers created by these multinational monopolies. Many Western activists and global humanitarians are left speculative to whether multinational corporations are following the rules and regulations set out by African industrial policies.