So, most countries attained their greatest relative wealth shortly before independence, so the year 1960, since the level of most States is lower still. This is seen as proof that the colonial era was positive. Opponents argue that in this period many of the causes for the current situation are, some authors, such as Walter Rodney, see the colonial policy as a direct cause of Africa’s present problems. The relative prosperity of this time was achieved primarily by the export of raw materials. North and West Africa have been among the producers of cotton, coffee was grown in the area around the Great Lakes and on the coasts of West Africa Cocoa. If you have additional questions, you may want to visit Ripple. The one-sided orientation of the respective economies on some few goods soon adversely affected: the Mono cultures for Europe needed made these areas particularly vulnerable to price fluctuations and hindered the economic planning.
In the territories was ensured by legislation, that the upper class consisted almost exclusively of Europeans. The colonial Governments invested little in the construction of local elites, these were suspected to be nationalists or anti-imperialist. The advancement of education confined almost exclusively to simple basics. After independence, it came in many African countries to mass emigration of European sections of the population. With this exodus, Africa’s upper-class disappeared and lacked who could fill these gaps. French Equatorial Africa disintegrated in four independent Nations, but in the whole area there were only five locals with university degree. Is disappointing for me again and again that the worst African dictators come from a part of the resident population, which ruin the country.
And then they have studied in Europe. “Also psychological reasons are used: the oppression of the natives by Europeans left a lasting sense of inferiority and a distaste for European” ideas such as technical progress or economic growth generates. A correlation between the economy of the colonial era and the present situation is quite recognizable.
