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Sociology of Developing Countries

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Neocolonialism Essay
Sociology of Developing Countries
Professor: Nanette Baily
By: Brandi Powell
Due: 11/27/2011

Introduction Neocolonialism is the practice of using capitalism, globalization, and cultural forces to control a country (usually former European colonies in Africa or Asia) in lieu of direct military or political control. Such control can be economic, cultural, or linguistic; by promoting one's own culture, language or media in the colony, corporations embedded in that culture can then make greater headway in opening the markets in those countries. Thus, neocolonialism would be the end result of relatively benign business interests leading to deleterious cultural effects.
Neocolonialism describes certain economic operations at the international level which have alleged similarities to the traditional colonialism of the 16th to the 20th centuries. The contention is that governments have aimed to control other nations through indirect means; that in lieu of direct military-political control, neocolonialist powers employ economic, financial, and trade policies to dominate less powerful countries. Those who subscribe to the concept maintain these amounts to a de facto control over targeted nations.
What are the social phenomena neocolonialism? It is a set of political, economic, social and colonial arrangements or systems which continue to exist in a society, managed and controlled by little local property-ruling class on behalf of their corresponding foreign property-ruling class. The arrangement is a phenomenon which is heavily imposed on the majority of the people who remain poor, unemployed, low income-earned, unskilled, and uneducated. These arrangements designate a continuation of colonialism wherein the majority of the people are denied dominant control and management of the bulk of their wealth. This lopsided state of affairs has, however, created for us one of the biggest of our problems. The denial of opportunities for the ordinary people to participate in the control and management of the enormous wealth of the country inhibits their influence in the process of making laws and policies as well as their implementation. They earn little income in relation to the few property-owned class who produce less but earn more. In short, neo-colonialism is a replacement of colonialism but this time with local marionettes in virtually all the political parties, media, NGOs, the Government and many inter-governmental organizations ( Auerbach, M. P. 2009).
Describe the origins of neocolonialism. The term neocolonialism first saw widespread use, particularly in reference to Africa, soon after the process of decolonization which followed a struggle by many national independence movements in the colonies following World War II. Upon gaining independence, some national leaders and opposition groups argued that their countries were being subjected to a new form of colonialism, waged by the former colonial powers and other developed nations. Kwame Nkrumah, who in 1957 became leader of newly independent Ghana, was one of the most notable figures to use the term. Nkrumah argues that "In place of colonialism as the main instrument of imperialism we have today neo-colonialism. Neo-colonialism, like colonialism, is an attempt to export the social conflicts of the capitalist countries." He continues:
The result of neo-colonialism is that foreign capital is used for the exploitation rather than for the development of the less developed parts of the world. Investment under neo-colonialism increases rather than decreases the gap between the rich and the poor countries of the world. The struggle against neo-colonialism is not aimed at excluding the capital of the developed world from operating in less developed countries. It is aimed at preventing the financial power of the developed countries being used in such a way as to impoverish the less developed.
What are the effects of neocolonialism? A Small Place Neo-Colonialism is a very powerful and controversial issue in the world today. Countries such as the United States, Great Brittan and France still greatly profit over the countries they left as independent years ago. This paradox is created by the mother country exerting economic and political influence on the former colonies; allowing them to still profit from these third world countries without actually occupying them. Neo-Colonialism produces a number of effects on the subject country, the majority of these effects being negative. Developed nations, at the time would colonize less developed ones, and through a process of time, wars, and an undeniable respect to the human spirit and freedom, these colonies have gained their independence. Yet the foundations of these colonies still exist, which leads to the birth of the term neo colonialism. Neo colonialism is the view that even after nations has gained their political independence; they are still under the massive influence of their "parents”, so to speak. These newly created nations are still living under the shadow of their parent nations, yet on top of the roots that they have placed. Thus the question arises, are these post colonial nations, which have recently found (Kim, N. 2010).
Name at least one way in which neocolonialism can be rectified? I think that one way to rectified neocolonialism is to issue regulations and introduce measures to prevent neocolonialism in the aim of ensuring that respect for any involving nation’s sovereignty, a fundamental principle of the United Nations as enshrined in Article 2 of the UN Charter, is upheld.
What is your personal perspective regarding neocolonialism and its impact upon developing nations? My own personal perspective is that as long as Foreign businesses and governments are able to influence and decisively affect African nations’ economic and political polices ,there is always going to be some form of neocolonialism in the developing nations.
Conclusions
In my finding on neocolonialism in developing nations, careful consideration of the facts, it becomes quite clear why the corporate interests and incredibly wealthy hijackers of our constitutional. Those who argue that neocolonialism historically supplemented (and later supplanted) colonialism, point to the fact that Africa today pays more money every year in debt service payments to the IMF and World Bank than it receives in loans from them, thereby often depriving the inhabitants of those countries from actual necessities. This dependency, they maintain, allows the IMF and World Bank to impose Structural Adjustment Plans upon these nations. Adjustments largely consisting of privatization programs which they say result in deteriorating health, education, an inability to develop infrastructure, and in general, lower living standards.

Reference List
Auerbach, M. P. (2009). Neocolonialism. Neocolonialism -- Research Starters Sociology, 1-5.
. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=216957
Marxists.org, The mechanisms of neo-colonialism, (quoting Nkrumah, Kwame; “Neo-Colonialism, the Last Stage of imperialism”, 1965); http://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/nkrumah/neo-colonialism/ch01.htm
Kim, N. (2010). A Mission to the “Graveyard of Empires”? Neocolonialism and the Contemporary Evangelical Missions of the Global South. Mission Studies: Journal of The International Association For Mission Studies, 27(1), 3-23. doi:10.1163/157338310X497946

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