The Scientific Revolution allowed humanity to advance by leaps and bounds, which allowed Western powers to expand their imperialism and dominate colonized nations. But in the process, colonized nations were oppressed, exploited, and had their cultures destroyed. While there were some positive aspects of imperialism, there was violence and suffering behind it.
From tens of thousands of years ago, when Homo sapiens first appeared, to now, humanity has made great strides. From the earliest days of our existence, when we lived in fear of our daily survival, to the cognitive revolution, the agricultural revolution, and the scientific revolution, we have risen to the top of the ecological food chain. While many things have changed for humans, it was the Scientific Revolution from the 17th century onward that led to our rapid development. The Scientific Revolution led to great scientific advances, but it also marked the beginning of the modern era of imperialism. European and especially Western European nations, which had previously been overshadowed by Asian powers, took advantage of the advances in science to launch massive explorations into the unknown. As a result of this exploration, new, previously unimaginable continents were discovered and conquered. Starting with these attempts, many countries in Europe were eager to explore and conquer, and imperialism gradually spread throughout the West. As a result, most of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and other countries became colonies of Western countries.
Why did countries in Asia and Africa have to become their colonies while European countries joined the imperialist ranks one by one? According to Yuval Noah Harari’s book Sapiens, it wasn’t the technology they lacked, but the values, myths, and socio-political structures that had been shaped over centuries in Western countries. The reason why France and the United States were able to quickly follow in the footsteps of the British was because they already shared the same mythology and social structure. In the same vein, Japan was able to adopt imperialism because they quickly embraced Western civilization through their own revolution, the Meiji Restoration.
How did this imperialism work? Let’s look at the example of the British Empire to see how imperialism worked. The first country to monopolize trade in Asia was Portugal. In the 17th century, the British wanted to challenge Portugal’s dominance and founded the East India Company to trade with Asian countries. Initially focusing on trade with Asian countries, especially India’s spice and textile industries, the British also became interested in territory as the Mughal Empire’s influence in India waned. Eventually, the British gained control of India by force and began to rule the country through the East India Company, and by the mid-19th century, the East India Company was dissolved and India was ruled directly by the British. After a long period of struggle, including Gandhi’s famous nonviolent struggle, India was finally able to achieve independence after World War II. Many colonized countries were colonized by the West in a similar way, with Western civilization invading under the guise of trade and using force to impose its will on the colonized nations.
This imperialist colonization naturally provoked a great deal of opposition from the colonized nations, not the least of which was due to the oppression practiced by the imperialist nations: they first took away the right to negotiate trade, then military power, then various administrative powers, and finally sovereignty. The biggest problem of all was that the imperialist countries also took over the culture of the colonized countries. They culturally oppressed the colonized nations, forcibly imposed their own culture, and viewed the colonized nations not as nations, but as vehicles to fulfill their own interests. In fact, it was cultural repression that led to the Great Sepoy Mutiny by Indian soldiers. For Hindus, who revere cows as sacred, being given musket cartridges coated with cow fat was a religious violation, and it was a decisive factor in the revolt. In trade, imperialist nations also took what they wanted from their colonized nations in ways that were more akin to semi-extortion than one-on-one trade. Some countries engaged in the slave trade, taking citizens of colonized countries to buy and sell as slaves.
Although this was an era of imperialism in which the freedom of the colonized nations was suppressed and inhumane practices were practiced, it was not without its positives. Most positively, Western culture, which was advanced in many ways at the time, was brought to the colonized nations. According to some scholars, the spread of a common language, the introduction of transportation such as railroads, and the expansion of education were made possible through imperialism, and without these benefits, those countries would have been in a worse situation. It is also true that the introduction of Western culture gradually improved the technology of colonized countries that were stagnant in pre-industrial technology, and this can be considered a positive aspect of imperialism.
Now, the question is, if we exclude the cultural suppression of the imperialist countries, can imperialism be beneficial to the colonized countries? Without the discrimination and inhumane oppression that was the biggest problem in the past imperialist era, living under the protection of a powerful country and benefiting from their advanced culture might not be a bad option? If you don’t understand, let me give you an example. If you imagine South Korea becoming the 51st state of the United States, you can imagine a similar situation. Now, it might not seem like a big deal because South Korea is close to being an economically developed country. But think about 30 years ago, when South Korea was economically poor, and becoming the 51st state of the United States would have had significant economic and livelihood benefits. Thanks to America’s economic infrastructure and high standard of living, South Korea would have been able to develop rapidly, and would have had direct access to American education, jobs, and security. At the time, many would have seen this as a positive and would have been happy.
Furthermore, becoming the 51st state of the United States does not mean that South Korea’s language or culture will change. If our culture is not suppressed, and we can share the infrastructure and environment of the United States, it may be a good thing for those who have been chanting “hello America” and longing for the United States. However, I have a different view. Even if you’re free to enjoy the many benefits of a great power, it’s never easy to overcome cultural differences within a country. Even if there is no state-level cultural repression, discrimination and conflict will inevitably arise as people from different cultures mix in the same living space.
A similar example is the various conflicts that are still going on today. While South Korea has relatively few such issues because it is composed of one ethnic group, in other countries, cultural differences between different ethnic groups have led to frequent conflicts. Examples include the ongoing Catalan independence conflict and the Kosovo independence conflict. The Catalan conflict is between Catalans and Castilians, who come from different cultural backgrounds. Similarly, the Kosovo conflict was fought over ethnic and cultural differences between Albanians and Serbs. These conflicts eventually developed into major conflicts that led to civil wars. These examples show how culture plays an important role within a country. That’s why I don’t think imperialism can be glorified in any way.
Imperialism started in the 17th century and didn’t end until the mid-20th century. More than 200 years of imperialism left behind terrible memories for the colonized nations that they don’t want to go back to. Of course, there was a lack of awareness of human rights back then, but that doesn’t justify the inhumane actions of imperialist countries. History doesn’t allow for “what ifs”. But what if imperialist nations had started their relationships with the new countries they explored with equal trade? Even if it took a little longer, the colonized nations could have been able to embrace the West’s advanced civilization and develop as they have in the modern era, without a past stained by oppression and exploitation.
Of course, this is an assumption. But we must remember the violence, oppression, and resulting conflicts that imperialism has brought about throughout history. No matter how much we try to talk about the positive aspects of imperialism, the suffering and sacrifices of countless people are behind it. Therefore, imperialism can never be viewed positively, and we should learn from history.
