How long can European hegemony and colonialism last?
- Thread starter InvaderX
- Start date
My guess, and it is purely that, is that without the second world war you buy a generation, without the first world war you might see it last into the 21st century. Recall that the last pockets were kept up until the 1970s, even later if you consider Southwest Africa, and you had a revolutionary USSR, anti-colonial super power America, the fall of France, the fading of the British and the destruction of Germany, Japan and all manner of reordering of the world inside of fifty years. Give it at least a better polish of stewardship and development, and it plausibly could be rather long lived.
Potentially to today depending on the PoD. Remember European Colonialism was destroyed by a number of key factors
You take some of those away, or at least blunt them, and full-on unsubtle white-man's-burden Colonialism could well be around today.
- Two incredibly destructive World Wars which heavily devastated the Colonial powers and significantly undermined its traditional political and economic structures.
- The complete discrediting of the racist ideology which justified Colonial tyranny.
- The rise of an international Communist bloc that was both ideologically committed to and had strategic interest in supporting anti-Colonial struggle.
- The US nominally embracing anti-Colonialism to build up their own alliances and interests in the developing world.
You take some of those away, or at least blunt them, and full-on unsubtle white-man's-burden Colonialism could well be around today.
Veraes
Banned
Basically anti-colonialism kept rolling 6s. It is very hard to fathom how immensely strong the European colonial powers were. Not only did they hold an technological edge, but also a demographic one.
More people lived in Germany 1914 than in all of Africa. And more people lived in 1914 Europe than in China! The demise of Western colonialism is not hard-wired. Without the shocks that the WWs inflicted on Europe, the colonial powers would still have the will and means to subjugate their colonies well until the 21st century.
More people lived in Germany 1914 than in all of Africa. And more people lived in 1914 Europe than in China! The demise of Western colonialism is not hard-wired. Without the shocks that the WWs inflicted on Europe, the colonial powers would still have the will and means to subjugate their colonies well until the 21st century.
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