The central underlying issue in various inequalities expressed in different economies throughout the world is class separation due to colonialism. Inequality mainly manifests itself as a social and economic disparity in different parts of the world due to lasting effects of colonialism. These effects include slavery and demographic crisis, dissolution of various infrastructure, de-industrialization, depletion of resources, and slavery (Cypher and Dietz). This paper will attempt to look at the way colonialism shaped inequality from a global perspective.
Colonialism and Land Distribution.
Land inequality is a dominant factor to consider in the evolution of economic inequality because, in most pre-colonial societies, land ownership was the ultimate wealth indicator. The colonial heritage of land inequality still affects the class caste system in various parts of the world a century later. For most colonialists, the land was the crown of resource domination and conquest of the land where they settled. The colonial administration grabbed land from natives and redistributed it among themselves and made the citizens work on the land. Land ownership signified an authoritative display of power, especially for the church and the imperialist elites. Proceeds generated from the land using indigenous labour could then be divided among the imperialists and their native land (Frankema).
In continents such as Latin America, the land was naturally well-endowed and colonialists utilized it to plant cash crops such as coffee, sugar, rubber and bananas which were highly favoured by the tropical climate. Food crops such as maize and wheat were planted on modest size plots together with rice which was and still is produced on minor plots of land. This coexistence of large cash crop estates and small subsistence farms brought about the skewed distribution of land and resulted in social and economic inequity.
Land-labour ratios in pre-modern colonial societies were influenced by various factors such as labour recruitment, permanent debt peonage, and slavery. The distribution of land among elites restricted its access to lower caste groups who faced taxation and rent from the imperial government. When the colonizers left, the system left in place continued to exist, and people who were left in positions of power continued to exact regressive land redistribution for the general majority. The church also had a significant influence on land redistribution, and their former superiors accorded priests and church servants larger tracts of land after colonization (Frankema). Later on, divisive policies were developed by the incumbent governments that suppressed democratic accountability and social equity so that they could maintain the dissemination status quo.
Colonialism and Income Inequality
The large gap in income inequality that exists among many nations in the world, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America can be attributed to colonialism. In the partitioning of the world, the majority of the European immigrants settled in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. These countries formed the main institutional framework for British colonies which made them unique because of their relatively even national income distribution. The rest of the world became unequal to the European settlement and forms majority of what are termed as the developing nations. In such countries, settlers delegated themselves into colonies that enabled them to establish governance over arable lands and mining resources. There were other types of colonies mainly for administration and tax collection. They were less occupied by Europeans and majority of the people here were indigenous people. The influence of imperialists over the native people prevailed in the form of taxes and induction of commercial products like tea, coffee and cacao that put a strain on the locals. As a result, the income earned by labours was irrelevant and to earn more to survive, they were forced to work extra harder.
In other regions, there existed peasant colonies. Here, the Europeans were neither land owners nor miners but instead played an administrative role. In such regions, the European population was small, and the principal source of revenue was tax and commercial cash crops. They also demanded different services from the indigenous people who were forced to work in plantations and building infrastructure. In British India and West Africa, land acquisition by settlers was forbidden, and the primary source of income was commercial trading of peanuts, palm oil, and cacao. In India, indigenous people were taxed for owning land. All this revenue was paid to the mother nation which continued to dominate its economic powers. Therefore, the colonialism effect generated a distinct class of peasants, labourers and the imperialist. This caste system is reflected in many modern nations who were once subjected to it (Angeles).
Colonialism and Social Inequality – Gender Disparity
Pre-colonial Africa was characterized by equal sex cooperation between men and women, leaving little room for competition. African women were perceived as queen mothers, chiefs and community guardians who looked after the needs of their husbands and children. Labour was equally divided between men and women and the resultant proceeds harnessed for the family. During the colonial era, the economic role was transferred to men and little recognition was accorded to women and their status prejudiced. In turn, a significant discrepancy in productivity and the outlook on women and their role in society compared to their male counterparts. Even after colonialism, the issue of gender sensitivity continued to prevail, and the society became dominated by male chauvinism and laws that favoured them. Most of the developing African nations continue to suffer from this social divide to date (Anyogu and Umobi).
In conclusion, many inequalities experienced in various parts of the world today can be attributed to the effects of colonialism. These effects vary considerably from social inequality, land distributions, racial discrimination, income variations and political divides. Empirical evidence gathered from countries that did not have a strong European presence suggests that inequality is much less prevalent compared to those characterized by strong European dominance. These variations continue to prevail today, and if any real development is to be realized in modern times, the century-old colonial legacy must be ruptured.
Works cited
Angeles, Luis. "Income Inequality and Colonialism". Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research, Economic Studies, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK, 2005. Print.
Anyogu, Felicia, and Carol Arinze Umobi. "Gender Inequality and Colonization: Nigeria in Legal Perspective". Journal of Constitutional Law 1.1 (2013): 1-14. Print.
Cypher, James M., and James L. Dietz. The Process of Economic Development. 3rd ed. Routledge, 2008. Print.
Frankema, E.H.P. "The Colonial Origins of Inequality: The Causes and Consequences of Land Distribution". Groningen Growth and Development Centre University of Groningen, 2006. Print.
