Imperialism - Colonialism. The difference [I Love History]

This is a source of irritation to me when i hear people using the wrong term to describe what happens in the last century or centuries to a particular territory or area of the world..

Imperialism and Colonialism are two Different things..

Colonialism:: You need one group of people to establish a colony in the lands of another group of people for it to be termed colonialism.. The objective of a Colony is to transfer your people to establish a settlement for Permanent residence of your people in the other land.. The people who are sent to a colony are Not supposed to return but to become permanent residents of that land.. Now sometimes in history both Colonialism and Imperialism where both in operation.. An example of this would be the USA while it was under the control of the British Empire.. Now most colonies end up rebelling against their imperialist founders and the USA and many other countries in the world had revolutions where the descendants of the colonists rebelled against the Imperial power to obtain independence..

Imperialism:: Imperialism on the other hand does not have the objective of colonizing the subjugated territory.. The objective in History was mostly to obtain exclusive trading rights over that territory.. An imperial power would take control of a territory to keep other imperial powers for getting it first.. Yes the imperial power would send their people to that territory but they where usually occupying military forces and bureaucratic officials to impose the will of the imperial power on that territory.. These people where not expected to remain in that territory indefinitely.. Solders would do a term of service and return back to their home country upon completion of their term of service.. Likewise with the bureaucrats and the Governor.. An example of Imperialism would be Egypt in the last century under the imperial control of the UK.. The UK wanted strategic control of the Suez canal to ensure it's ships quick passage to India and the rest of it's empire in Asia.. Most nations in the middle east and Asia experienced Imperialism but did not experience Colonialism.. The objective of the UK was not to set up a city of English people in Egypt or India or China.. But to control ports and thus have exclusive trading rights..

So when i read someone saying that middle eastern countries where subjected to colonialism i whine with irritation. Nope they never experienced colonialism.. They did however experience Imperialism..

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DukeOfEarle · M Best Comment

That was clear, concise, to the point and interesting. You’re a good writer! Thank you for that clarification

Miram · 31-35, F

No offence but 🤔 I see no difference when your loved ones are killed or raped or driven to the edge of extermination whether under imperialism or colonialism. Which is one the contexts those distinctions aren't being made.

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assemblingaknob · 26-30, F

@Miram Very nice. Thank you.

aaaabbbb

@Miram very true

aaaabbbb

@Adstar Islamic jihad is nothing but more than a bi product of western jihad. We created by arming Saudis and other rebels to fight and kick Russia out of Afghanistan, those were needed, then Israel feed them to destroy Asad. This is an ugly game. They are all feeding each other. We buy their oil, and turn around sell them our luxuries and culture and our wepaons to kill each other. The money comes right back to us. Our factories and offices continue run on their blood soaked money.

assemblingaknob · 26-30, F

Oh damn. From the material I read I always comprehended that the british, Turks, and French colonized countries in the middle east and Africa. I think I'll have to read history again. I'd like to blame my teachers for this :D

Adstar · 56-60, M

@assemblingaknob Well some of the nations in Africa where colonized.. The British set up colonies in Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa in particular.. So yeah and the french also set up colonies in Algeria for instance.. The Ottoman Turks where imperialists who imposed their rule over the Arabs and the Egyptians.. But i don't know of any Turkish colonies set up in their empire.. Oh wait a minute i do know of turkish colonialism.. They set up colonies in northern Cyprus and in Albania..

Miram · 31-35, F

@assemblingaknob

Nah, his choice is subjective

aaaabbbb

@assemblingaknob When turks were plundering the middle east there was no one to stop them. Arabs were too busy fighting with each other, if you read the last two hundred years of their history, you would see how each family member plotted against each other to take over the power, and I would suspect this is the case of past few thousand years too. Wife, Son, father, siblings, uncles and auntie sall fight and kill each others to gain control and power. Beside that arab men in power have a thing for women. Every woman they find beautiful has to be their. So they are fucked, they drink, sleep around, have hundreds of kids, are lazy as fuck. Most arab countries are built by cheap labor from Far East and South Asia. And I think they are disloyal, if they had any loyalty to their country and Arabs among themselves they would not sell their blood and souls to others.

aaaabbbb

Good explanation. In the end we, from west fucked them up really well. This is the truth, we wanted their resources, their gold, their oil, we divided them and ruled them.

SW-User

Both are grabs at control..
No power grab was ever done without motive.
They are both economic in nature. Let economic be defined as choices.

Colonialism is a formalized form of imperialism.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that if a foreign government caused a coup in a nation. Then put in place a leader that would act according to the wishes of the government that installed the leader and business interests who would stand to gain from a puppet government.

There is a connection there.

Cinnaman

Those are certainly different phenomena but I don't think your definition of these words is universally accepted. The first thing you're describing is also called "settler colonialism" - which implies that there are also other kinds of colonialism that don't involve settlement in the same way.

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