© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. Window on Humanity Conrad Phillip Kottak Third Edition Chapter 16 The World System and Colonialism

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. Overview Emergence of the modern world system Industrial Revolution Socioeconomic effects of industrialization Colonialism Development The second world Modern world system today

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Modern world system –Truly isolated societies do not exist today (and probably have never existed) –Modern world system – a world in which nations are economically and politically interdependent

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism The world system –Dominance of international trade led to the capitalist world economy – single world system committed to production for sale or exchange, with the object of maximizing profits rather than supplying domestic needs Capital – wealth or resources invested in business, with the intent of producing a profit

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism The world system –World-system theory – argues that an identifiable social system, based on wealth and power differentials, extends beyond individual states and nations –According to Wallerstein, the nations within the world system occupy three different positions of economic and political power: Core Periphery Semiperiphery

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism The world system –Core: Strongest, most powerful nations Monopolize world finance Sophisticated technologies and mechanized production Manufacture products that flow mainly to other core nations (and, to a lesser extent, the periphery and semiperiphery)

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism The world system –Semiperiphery: Industrialized nations that export industrial goods and commodities Lack the power and economic dominance of core nations –Periphery: Nations with economies that are less mechanized than those in the semiperiphery Produce raw materials, agricultural commodities, and human labor for export to the core and semiperiphery

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism The world system –Exploitative relationship between core and periphery Trade and other economic relations disproportionately benefit capitalists in the core Today, immigrants from noncore nations provide cheap labor for agriculture in core countries (e.g., Mexicans in the United States, Turks in Germany) Increasingly, companies in core nations are “outsourcing” jobs to take advantage of cheap labor in noncore countries

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Emergence of the world system –European exploration in the 15th century: Permanently linked the Old and New Worlds Paved the way for major exchanges of people, resources, ideas, and diseases –16th and 17th centuries – development of colonial plantation economies based on single cash crops (monocrop production) to satisfy increased European demand for sugar and cotton –Emergence of colonial plantation economies fueled the transatlantic slave trade

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Industrial Revolution –Historical transformation (in Europe, after 1750) of “traditional” into “modern” societies through industrialization of the economy –European industrialization developed from, and eventually replaced, the domestic system of manufacture –Manufacturing moved into factories, where machinery was used to produce cheap staple goods (e.g., cotton products, iron, pottery) on a large scale –Industrialization fueled urban growth

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Industrial Revolution –The Industrial Revolution began in England rather than in France France – able to increase production by simply augmenting (rather than transforming) its domestic manufacturing system England – with a smaller population, had to industrialize in order to meet mounting demand for staples Factors favoring English industrialization: –Natural resources –Location at the crossroads of international trade –Demand for staples from English settler families –Protestant beliefs and values of the emerging English middle class

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Socioeconomic effects of industrialization –Prosperity resulting from industrialization was uneven Factory owners began recruiting labor in places where living standards were low and labor (including women and children) was cheap Social ills accompanying industrialization: –Pollution –Crowded and unsanitary housing –Insufficient water and sewage disposal –Disease –Rising death rates

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Industrial stratification –Marx – viewed socioeconomic stratification as a sharp, simple division between two opposed classes: Bourgeoisie –Capitalists who owned the means of production (e.g., factories, mines, large farms) –Dominated the means of communication, schools, and other key institutions Proletariat –Propertyless working class –Had to sell their labor to survive

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Industrial stratification –Marx: Class consciousness (recognition of collective interests and personal identification with one’s economic group) could lead to revolutionary change among workers –19th century – trade unions and socialist parties emerged to fight for better wages and working conditions –Growth of the middle class (skilled and professional workers) has helped to reduce the polarization between capitalist and working classes –Many Americans who have pension plans and personal investments are part-owners in the means of production –Key distinction is that the wealthy have control over these means

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Industrial stratification –Weber: Defined three dimensions of social stratification (in contrast to Marx’s strictly economic-based view of stratification): –Wealth (economic status) –Power (political status) –Prestige (social status) Wealth, power, and prestige tend to be correlated Social identities based on ethnicity, religion, race, or nationality may take priority over class (social identity based on economic status)

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Industrial stratification –Current world stratification system is characterized by a substantial contrast between capitalists and workers in the core nations and workers on the periphery Added surplus from the periphery allows core capitalists to maintain their profits while satisfying the demands of their workers Wages and living standards are much lower in the periphery

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Colonialism –Imperialism – a policy of extending rule of a nation or empire over foreign nations and of taking and holding foreign colonies Imperialism is as old as the state –Colonialism – political, social, economic, and cultural domination of a territory and its people by a foreign power for an extended period of time Modern colonialism began during the “Age of Discovery” – European nations founded colonies throughout the New World First phase of European colonialism ended in the early 19th century, as result of rebellions and independence wars in Latin America

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism British colonialism –British expansion was led by a drive for profit –At its peak (around 1914), the British empire covered a fifth of the world’s land surface and ruled a fourth of its population –First phase of British colonialism: Concentrated in the New World, west Africa, India Ended with the American Revolution –Second phase of British colonialism: gained control over most of India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, large portions of eastern and southern Africa

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism British colonialism –Justification for British imperialism: “the white man’s burden” Paternalistic and racist doctrine asserting that native peoples in the empire were incapable of governing themselves, and thus that British guidance was needed to civilize and Christianize them –British empire disintegrated after World War II, as a result of nationalist independence movements

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism French colonialism –In contrast to British expansion, French colonialism was driven more by the state, church, and armed forces than by pure business interests –First phase of French colonialism: Canada, the Louisiana territory, the Caribbean, parts of India –Second phase of French colonialism: most of north and west Africa, Indochina

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism French colonialism –Justification for French colonialism: “mission civilisatrice” A civilizing mission, the goal of which was to spread French culture, language, and religion (Roman Catholicism) throughout the colonies –French used two forms of colonial rule: Indirect rule – governing through native leaders and established political structures in areas with long histories of state organization Direct rule – imposing new government structures to control diverse societies, many of them previously stateless –French empire began to disintegrate following World War II

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Colonialism and identity –Whole countries, along with social groups and divisions within them, were colonial inventions –Example: many of the modern political boundaries in West Africa are based on linguistic, political, and economic contrasts promoted under colonialism –Hundreds of ethnic groups and “tribes” are colonial constructions

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Postcolonial studies –Postcolonial studies focus on various topics – e.g., formation of empires, impact of colonization, state of postcolonies today –“Postcolonial” also describes the period succeeding colonialism, as well as a position against imperialism and Eurocentrism –Three kinds of postcolonies: Settler countries – large numbers of European colonists and sparser native populations (e.g., Australia, Canada) Nonsettler countries – large native populations and relatively few Europeans (e.g., India) Mixed countries – sizable native and European populations (e.g., South Africa)

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Development –Intervention philosophy – an ideological justification for outsiders to guide native peoples in specific directions Examples: Britain’s “white man’s burden” and France’s “mission civilisatrice” –Economic development plans also have intervention philosophies –Beliefs underlying interventions (whether by colonialists, missionaries, governments, or development planners): Industrialization, modernization, Westernization, and individualism are desirable evolutionary advances Development schemes that promote these processes will bring long- term benefits to local people

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Neoliberalism –Dominant intervention philosophy today –Current form of classic economic liberalism – view that government should not regulate private enterprise and market forces –Neoliberalism entails: Tariff- and barrier-free international trade and investment Maximization of profits through cost reduction Tendency to impose austere measures that cut government expenses –In exchange for loans, the governments of postsocialist and developing nations have been required to accept neoliberal principles

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism The Second World –First World – the “democratic West” –Second World – Warsaw Pact nations, including the former Soviet Union and the socialist and once-socialist countries of Eastern Europe and Asia –Third World – “less developed” or “developing” countries

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Communism –communism – a social system in which property is owned by the community and in which people work for the common good –Communism – a political movement and doctrine seeking to overthrow capitalism and to establish a form of communism (e.g., the former Soviet Union) –All Communist systems were authoritarian – promoted obedience to authority rather than individual freedom –Many were also totalitarian – banned rival parties and demanded total submission of the individual to the state

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Communism –Features distinguishing Communist systems from other authoritarian regimes and socialist (social democratic) societies: Communist party monopolized power Relations within the Communist party were highly centralized and strictly disciplined State ownership of the means of production Cultivation of a sense of belonging to an international movement, with the aim of advancing communism

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism Postsocialist transitions –States that once had planned economies have been privatizing resources, and undergoing democratization and marketization –Problems in Russia despite attempts to reform the post- Soviet economy: Declining GDP (gross domestic product) Increased poverty Declining life expectancy and lower birthrate Corruption – abuse of public office for private gain –In postsocialist societies, what is legal and what is considered morally correct do not necessarily correspond

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism The world system today –20th century – mass production gave rise to a culture of consumption, which in turn has led to the rapid depletion of fossil fuel energy –Americans are the world’s foremost consumers of nonrenewable resources

© 2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All right reserved. CHAPTER 16 The World System and Colonialism The world system today –Industrial degradation Industrialization in Latin America, Africa, the Pacific, and Asia has led to the destruction of indigenous economies, ecologies, and populations Genocide –Physical destruction of ethnic groups by murder, warfare, and introduced diseases –Has occurred on a grand scale as industrial states have conquered, annexed, and “developed” nonstates Many native groups (indigenous peoples) have become ethnic minorities within nation-states