Sociology: two_cheers_for_colonialism

Anti-colonial scholars and third world intellectuals attack Western Colonialism and attribute the prosperity of Western civilization and the ills of the non-western countries to such colonialism . The reality however , is that the West started to colonize other countries because of its superiority and its prosperity was not due to the resources of the colonies . The west developed the institutions of scientific research democracy , capitalism , and the dynamic interaction of these forces resulted in the superiority and prosperity of the west , with which it began to colonize other countries . Colonialism is not a

unique Western institution and many other advanced countries and civilizations in the past had also colonized , and claims for the west compensating for its colonialism would require such previous colonists also to provide compensations . Colonialism benefited the colonies by the establishment of better infrastructure , introduction of new products such as cocoa in Malaya and tea in India , and development of strong institutions such as judiciary . The descendents of colonialism , far from being better off without colonialism have actually benefited from colonialism in the form of access to English language and ideas like democracy . Tyranny conflicts , and impoverishment occur in post-colonial lands where Western institutions did not have sufficient time to develop strong roots

The author makes a counter-point against the popular doctrine that colonialism was very evil , highlights the benefits brought about by colonialism , and sheds insights on the reason for the rapid development and superiority of Western civilization since the 15th Century . He stresses the need for...