Consequences of Colonialism: Devastation and Conflict

The consequences of colonialism were devastating for some native populations:

• The local government was eliminated or subjected to foreign control.
• The native economy was altered as the colonies replaced traditional crops with plantations of products for exportation.
• Commerce was mainly beneficial for the metropolitan state, and the infrastructures were built based on private interest.
• Industrial development did not take place in these territories, and territorial frontiers were not clearly marked, which would bring later conflicts.

Society was divided between a foreign dominating minority that controlled the government and lived in luxurious villas, and the native majority that lived apart. The native cultures were marginalized, and western culture and values were imposed.

For the metropolitan state, colonialism was mostly positive as it brought wealth and political power, but it also provoked confrontation between countries that led to the First World War.