Colonialism

If there's one thing that's had a massive impact on history and on the world we live in today, it's colonialism, particularly by the European powers in their time. In the past there was this huge rush among various European countries to get out there and occupy/rule as much of the world as possible. With this came numerous atrocities and problems that are still affecting the world today. When you look at a globe, you should know that so many of the political lines that have been drawn were the product of colonial powers divvying up their territories of the planet. The Europeans had various ways of justifying the expanding of their realms. The British in particular, saw themselves as a civilizing force. Many of them believed that they were doing a service to the "savages" that were the original inhabitants of their colonies. They believed that they were spreading a superior culture and that those that they ruled over weren't using their land and resources to the fullest potential. Spain especially, used their colonies throughout Latin America to bring financial profit back to them via their silver mines. So many colonial nations did what they did for their own personal profit and used the guise of themselves as a "civilizing force" to justify their actions. One of the most ruthless and cruel colonial rulers was King Leopold II of Belgium. What he did to Congo was absolutely unforgivable. Not only did he exploit the land and the people in the most vicious of fashions, he drained the country for his own personal gain. He treated the Congo as his own personal colony and didn't care in the slightest how much devastation he inflicted on the region. Of course colonialism came with many horrendous results, it should be said that some good did come out of it. For one thing, the United States came about as a result of the abuse of the colonies by the British, which is what also brought about many more of the modern nations we see today. For better or worse, the colonial powers of Europe shaped the world we see today. Whether you see them as conquerors and oppressors, or as benevolent expanders of civilization, the marks they left on the world have lasted, and will continue to last for a long time. Colonialism caused many problems that the world is still dealing with today, but if you ask me, there's no use in bemoaning the past. The best thing to be done for healing the scars left by colonial powers is to focus on the here and now, by allowing former colonies to expand and grow as their own nations. Do I think reparations should be paid to former colonies? In many cases, yes, but again, that's focusing on the past, instead of building towards the future. Yes of course amends should be made, but after that I think it's best if the west stays away from former colonies in order to let them develop and grow with their own national identities.