Influence of Colonialism in Africa and Latin America Essay

Influence of Colonialism in Africa and Latin America The institutions of imperialism and colonialism have shaped the face of growth and development of the social, political, and economic forces in Africa. As outlined by Boahen, the extent of the â€Å"influence† that these institutions asserted varies and has both positive and negative aspects. Several of these aspects that exists in Africa are mirrored in Latin America, while others differ quite extremely. An important observation that can be made immediately, is that each positive has a related negative. It is not as if the positive aspects stem from one source while the negatives stem from another, but rather it is as if they both stem from the same related source. Each of the†¦show more content†¦The republican form of government adopted in Latin America are similar to the bureaucracies adopted in Africa in the sense that both have been adopted from similar western political systems which were put forth to assert imperial rule in the respective continents. On both continents, the political structure that was established by the imperialialists remained much the same after independence. Another political development which bears similarities between the two regions is the emergence of nationalism. This onset of a group mentality has both positive and negative consequences. On one hand, it acted as a binding force between intra-cultural ethnic groups and provided a sense of identity within African colonial states. Much the same way, the ethnically diverse populations of Latin America felt the emergence of a group consciousness. However, because this nationalism was a reactionary force to colonial oppression, after independence was achieved on both continents, it lacked the cohesiveness to bind the masses to the nation’s welfare. Another key political development which is mirrored on both continents was the emergence of a professional military as an important political device. In both Latin America and Africa, the military has been a source of instability and confusion. As Boahen states, the military has a record of unnecessary and unjustifiable intervention in the political process inShow MoreRelatedPresident Nkrumah s The Fight Against Imperialism958 Words   |  4 PagesNkrumah’s first name. In order to understand both Kwame Ture and Kwame Nkrumah’s influence in the fight against imperialism it is important to understand both men’s definition of colonialism in Africa and The Americas. 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