Exterminate All the Brutes
In the early 1800s, European nations played a minor role in Africa, controlling only areas along the coast. Areas which provided markets for trade and an opportunity to increase their economy were concentrated upon. Although there was little monetary value, Europe renewed its interest in Africa by the mid-1800s. Colonial claims were established while ignoring the claims of African ethnic groups, kingdoms, and city-states. Although many Africans resisted, many of these attempts failed. In his book Exterminate All the Brutes, Sven Lindqvist explains European imperialism as well as the brutality of the time. European's renewed interest in Africa, stemmed partly from a desire to create overseas empires. By controlling these lands, they had access to raw materials needed for their industrial economies. Markets were also opened up for the goods they produced. Sven Lindqvist agrees with this idea by summarizing Benjamin Kidd's Social Evolution, "Driven by the inbuilt forces of his own civilization, the Anglo-Saxon goes to the foreign country to develop its natural resources--and the consequences seem to be inescapable 138-9)." The Europeans began to build plantations where they grew peanuts, coc
Colonial conquests were considered to be cost effective with the aid of these new weapons; expenses were limited to the cartridges needed. " The story suggests that God created different races in preparation for something better--the 3British race which was chosen to rule over mankind. I feel that a particular statement Lindqvist makes sums up the ideas of military superiority of the time: "An old-fashioned concept of honor and fair play, an admiration for such pointless bravery, had still not been superseded by the modern understanding that technical superiority provides a natural right to annihilate the enemy even when he is defenseless" (65). The Congo produced copper and tin, and South Africa produced gold and diamonds. Three hundred years later, the gods of cannons, Europe had conquered a third of the world. Although Exterminate All the Brutes is harsh, I feel that Lindqvist incorporates many different ideas and opinions of the European imperialism occurring in Africa during the 19th century. Perhaps on different levels, people remain committed to the idea that war is a glorious thing. These innovations made it possible for European travelers to "practice unlimited brutality and go unpunished" (50). Because the men representing their countries were cut off by large distances and poor communication, they were able to exercise imperial power without any control from home. When our bodies are as cold as corpses, at last a postal order for two pounds arrives. They believed that the slave trade would end as a result of European rule, thus helping to convert indigenous peoples.
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