Effects of imperialism in Asia Essay

What carry on did western sandwich imperialism and colonialism have on AsiaThat Colonialism and imperialism played a signifi grasst role in shaping the modern world and particularly Asia is a prudent judgment. Colonialism is a policy in which a country rules other(a) nations and develops trade for its feature benefit and the extension of power or authority over others in the interests of domination (2004). The watt, which refers to the societies of Europe and their genealogical, colonial, and philosophical desc demolitionants. Spain, France, Britain, Canada, and the United States of America are some(prenominal)(prenominal) examples of Western societies.These countries have spread their influence and hegemony over other nations for centuries shaping todays North America, Central-America, southwestward America, Africa, Oceana, and Asia (Western Society, 2004). Indochina is a voice that today we would consider as atomic effect 34 Asia, comprised of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietna m (Indochina, 2001). Its around recent and most important contact with the West came from France and America. The West had a negative dissemble on Indochina because its influence damaged selenium Asias outline of regimen, ruined and diluted the indigenous culture, ca utilise many a(prenominal) hatful to lose their lives and liberty, and set the origin for future sparing depressions and poverty.INDO-CHINESE GOVERNMENT.Under french colonisation, the Indochinese political structure went into walk (Hammer, 1966). The puppet governments installed after cut colonization were repressive, totalitarian, and corrupt which meant that age sure-enough(a) traditional and cultural monarchies were replaced by despots under french influence. In undersized time, each country unconnected its own unique identity Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam disappeared forward maps and were replaced simply by French Indochina (Vietnam War, 2004). Only French-speaking or French-educated mess were allowe d to gain high positions in government, while others were treated as cabin class citizens and t crude oiled in the fields.Opposition to these policies was punishable by exile or imprisonment. This form of government ensured absolute French political control over Indochinas administration and contributed to lost initiative among the working class plurality (Hammer, 1966). This system would dominate for about ahundred eld, suppressing regular riots and movements undertaken by the Indochinese concourse. As time went on, communisms appeal grew stronger as the repressed axiom a light in forms of promised equality, housing, information, money, and better jobs (Vietnam War, 2004).CULTURAL EFFECTS.Culture was too affected. Before French colonization, Vietnam was chinawares sphere of influence. later French colonization, however, Vietnam was torn between two spheres of influence, Chinese and French. The French to a fault imposed their influence on Laos and Cambodia. As a result, ma ny Indochinese people became confused. They did not know whether they should embrace the stark naked forceful French influence, or try to live their shattered pre-existing lifestyle in cover (Vietnam War, 2004). Hammer states, the widely diffused Chinese preparational system, teaching annals and morality as well as language, which linked Vietnam with its past, was abolished. (1966, p.63). The French did any(prenominal) they could to stuff their culture down the throats of the people of Indochina one strategy was manipulating the education system.They implemented a policy where all public secondary education would be taught in French, not the native language of the people (Clayton, 2002). Since the beginning, France had plans to informant their culture in Indochina. Even before colonization of Indochina, French abroad missionaries were move around the world to spread the French culture through mission civilisatrice (civilizing mission). This policy affirmed that it was France s duty to spread the ship mode of the prime(prenominal) beings to inferior beings with inferior ways of living (Ty, n.d., para.17). In addition to implementing new policies and changing existing ones, assimilation was another method of cultural dominance. The French were not hesitant to intermix with Indochinese women and assimilate them and their children to adhere to Western ways of life (Vietnam War, 2004).Everyday lifestyle changes were another method of ensuring cultural dominance. The French manipulated those who had power. A flock of the elite class in Indochina admired the French for their prestigious lifestyle and converted to Catholicism, setting an example for the lowerclasses (Vietnam War, 2004). writings is an important part of culture, seeing that countries keep their records, history, and information in texts which would be stored for future generations. A French missionary named Alexander de Rhodes romanized the Vietnamese language, which used to utilize Chinese symbols. This new script, called Quoc Ngu, detracted Vietnam from its original culture and Chinas sphere of influence.Quoc Ngus impact is so immense, that it is the how the Vietnamese language is written and read today (Quoc Ngu, 2001). In the later twentieth century, the Western urban youths rebellious lifestyle leaked its way to the Indochinese people. Many young Indochinese people embraced sexual freedom and the movies, clothing styles, and quake music from Western cultures became popular (Vietnam War, 2004). As well as pervert the way of life for all of Indochinese people and destroying the cultural language of Vietnam, many important historical and cultural cities such as the ancient dynastic capital of Vietnam, Hue, were physically destroyed during the Vietnam Wars bombings (Vietnam War, 2004).As most people lost their government and culture, they became restless and weary of living their crank lifestyle. Peasants struggled under heavy taxes and high rents. Workers in fact ories, in coal mines, and on rubber plantations labored in abysmal conditions for low wages. A suppuration nationalistic ardour was growing by shared feelings of anger, poverty, destitution, and lost liberty. This fervor contributed to the formation of many revolutionary movements. Many people died, became refugees, or became roofless while trying to overthrow foreign invaders out of their country to commix their people.The Vietnamese revolutionary group, the Viet Minh, had a prime objective to overthrow the tyrannous governments and install a Communist regime to unify Vietnam. After the end World War II, Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Viet Minh, declared Vietnams independence from France (Vietnam War, 2004). Minh was prepared to go at great lengths and sacrifices to achieve his day-dream of a unified Vietnam. You can kill 10 of my men for either one I kill of yours, yet even at those odds, you volition lose and I will win., decreed Minh himself (Karnow, 1998, para.2). The Frenc h were unwilling to fall flat up their colony, a symbol of their world power, so they opposed this snug proclamation and attempted to reassert their power back into Indochina by warmonger means. This resulted in the bloody Franco-VietMinh war where the French were defeated, but at a large gay cost to the Vietnamese freedom fighters (Vietnam War, 2004).The victory for the Vietnamese in the eight-year-long Franco-Viet Minh war was supposed to end Indochinas colonization, and end the gore to unite their people. For nearly a hundred years the people of Southeast Asia resisted and rebelled to no avail, until this priming coatmark victory. But the bloodshed did not stop. Minhs declaration of independence and liberation would not happen for thirty more years of fighting. The second Indochinese War, The Vietnam War, had an even greater effect on Southeast Asians lives.American Secret Bombing campaigns and countless napalm strikes lead to the destruction of many homes and at least 10 m illion people became homeless, and 800,000 became war orphans in South Vietnam alone at the end of the Vietnam War. Most crucially, most of these casualties were civilians. South Vietnamese civilians made up a significant portion of victims of the bombings, even though they were allied to the Americans. Entire cities, forests, mountains, and fields were laid to waste. One quarter of Laoss population became refugees which is approximately 500,000 people. In total, over 5 million Indochinese lives were lost fighting for their independence and freedom (Vietnam War, 2004).ECONOMICS.Indochinas economic problems today can be traced back to colonial times. Frances mercantilist policy exploited the land, labour, and resources of Southeast Asian countries. Indochina was simply a large pool of natural resources for French industrialists. France would get the resources it needed from Indochina, manufacture them into goods, and sell them to her colonies at inflated prices. In addition, Indochin a was not an autonomous colony, meaning it could not be self-sufficient. This was intentional because France wanted to have a monopoly on trade with her colonies (Hammer, 1966). Frances attempt to change Indochina only ravaged the land. The sudden shift from calm subsistence farming to large plantations lead to a precariously unbalanced economy that was extremely dependent on agricultural exports which would eventually be disastrous because of futureland degradation (State of the Environment Vietnam, 2002).A large decline in the number of farmers was not good for agriculture, either. During the time of European domination, products of rice grew immensely. With this increase of production came an increase in quotas that impoverished peasants had to yield to their landlords, causing widespread dearth (Hammer, 1966). Hammer states, Both areas referring to Vietnam In the 1930s, at a time when the Vietnamese people did not have enough to eat, Cochin China exported rice in considerabl e quantities, even Tonkin managed to export some. (1966, p. 64). Adding to the famine was the insistence that nonfood crops like jute, oil seeds, and opium be grown in certain areas instead of rice (Hammer, 1966).Today, economic expansion is extremely difficult because of Indochinas history. Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia rank as some of the most undeveloped and impoverished countries in the world. Strained foreign dealings as a result of Indochinas wars and its communist system of government have lead to significant decreases in foreign aid over the past decades (CIA World Factbook, 2003). Although agriculture makes up a significant portion of Indochinas economy, Indochina cannot even rely on their agricultural economy because Vietnams fields, forests, and streams have been contaminated or destroyed by Agent chromatic and napalm strikes. As well, Laoss beautiful jungles consisting of exotic woods, timber, and stones are laden with millions of deadly, unexploded land ordnance, and Ca mbodias prolonged anarchy has proven fatal for any form of significant economic growth. The effect of Indochinas hardships created by the West has even hindered its ability to pick up where it left off, before foreign influence (Vietnam War, 2004).Even decades after formal European military seduction and intervention, Indochina continues to feel the sting of the Wests influence. Today, Southeast Asia is among the poorest places in the world, where people enjoy very little personal freedom and opportunity. Indochinas crude(a) infrastructure and poverty-stricken society is burdened by its history and injure foreign relations. The future for Southeast Asia in terms of political stability, human liberty, and economic growth looks unpleasantbecause of on-going internal civil tensions caused by disharmonious conflicts brought upon by Western imperialism and colonialism. The West truly had a detrimental impact on Indochina because it caused the collapse of Indochinas traditional system of government, loss and change of its pre-existing culture, diminishment of its peoples prosperity and freedom, and destruction of its economy. Concisely, Indochinas human relationship with the West brought nothing but bloodshed, tears, poverty, famine, and a legacy of economic and hearty problems that will continue to plague Southeast Asia for centuries to come.