Understanding Empires and Colonialism

Nov 11, 2024

Crash Course Geography: Empires and Colonialism

Overview

  • Discussion of historical control and influence over territories.
  • Focus on South Florida and its various rulers over time.
  • Introduction to the concepts of empires, imperialism, and colonialism.

Key Concepts

Empires

  • Formed when a single authority controls multiple territories.
  • Can function intrusively or more hands-off.

Imperialism

  • Describes domination of one state over others.
  • Motivated by acquisition of land, resources, or strategic positions.

Colonialism

  • A type of imperialism involving settlement and cultural control.
  • Often implies control of land and resources.

Historical Instances

European Colonialism

  • Spanned globally from the 15th century to the present.
  • Involved various tactics of domination and resource extraction.

Non-European Empires

  • Chinese, Japanese, and Mongol empires expanded through force.

Impact of Colonialism

Dependency Theory

  • Colonized regions remain economically reliant on colonizers even after independence.

World Systems Theory

  • Classifies regions into core, periphery, and semi-periphery based on wealth and power.

Neocolonialism

  • Describes economic and political control by external forces, despite formal independence.

Case Studies

Taiwan

  • Colonized by the Dutch and later controlled by the Qing Dynasty and Japan.
  • Experienced shifts from subsistence to industrial-level agriculture.
  • A strategic location between US allies and China, fostering economic growth.

Myanmar

  • Former British colony with ongoing ethnic conflicts.
  • Colonial period created divisions among ethnic groups.

Thailand

  • Experienced culinary colonization.
  • Thai government promoted cultural outreach through cuisine.

Modern Implications

  • Colonialism continues to impact geopolitical divisions and economic relationships.
  • Maps and borders often exclude consultation with indigenous peoples.
  • Encouragement to learn about local indigenous history and engage with their communities.

Conclusion

  • Empires, imperialism, and colonialism have shaped and continue to influence global relationships and cultural landscapes.
  • Next discussion will focus on development and success measurement on the global stage.

  • Resources: Encouragement to explore resources like native-land.ca to understand local indigenous history.
  • Support: Information about supporting Crash Course on Patreon.