Almost all colonialists, including the Portuguese, English, French, Dutch and the Spaniards desired for colonization with the aim of obtaining as much land and wealth as possible in order to help their motherland at home (In Belmessous, 2015). It is evident that most of the wealth that was accumulated by the explorers were taken back to their countries. At the same time, they all knew that they might not be welcomed to their new territories and that meant that they had to come up with different ways of ensuring their dominance in all economic, political and social aspects. However, it would be prudent to note that although there might be some similarities in the way and approaches used for establishing any form of dominance, some were more successful than others (Berkin, 2007). Although Spain and Portugal were the first European powers to establish overseas colonies, the French, Dutch and English were much more successful with the English being considered the most successful of them all. In this regard, this paper seeks to explain some of the reasons why this was the case.
Apparently, one of the reasons that made Spaniards and Portuguese less successful was due to the nature of entry to potential colonies and force that was involved at initial stages. Historians have noted that the Spaniards for example, used more forceful ways of acquiring land and assets in their new colonies. Specifically, Spanish Conquistadors made this reality apparent through the killing of thousands of natives with the aim of gaining silver, gold, as well as other resources while claiming their land and other assets in the name of Spain. An excellent example of this was the Tenochtitlan of the Aztec empire that was devastated by Hernan Cortes. In this case, the Aztecs did not have the kind of weapons as their opponents-the Spaniards. At the same time, the Aztecs were weakened by the disease that was deliberately spread by foreigners coming into the country. Consequently, Spanish Conquistadors ended up taking the capital with ease (In Belmessous, 2015). On their side, the Portuguese were more interested in ensuring that the natives were not used in enhancing their trade but also using them as trading products, specifically as slaves. A case in point is the influence that the Portuguese had on the slave trade from Africa such as from the eastern Africa and western Africa particularly Angola and Guinea.
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Religion played an instrumental role in contributing to the success of both the British and French. Notably, missionaries were mostly utilized to create rapport with the locals (In Belmessous, 2015). In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, missionaries from Britain, for example, saw the Empire as the field through which Christianity would be proselytized. In fact, congregations in the entire Britain would receive consistent reports as well as contribute money to running the British Empires (Etemad, 2007). The success of the church involvement was based on the fact that all denominations were included such as the Presbyterians of Scotland, the Nonconformists and the Church of England among others. For example, in the Eastern Africa, the British used missionaries to establish their presence and colonize the region.
The use of assimilation approach in their style of colonization also contributed to the success of British and French (In Belmessous, 2015). The aspect of assimilation originated in the French under the principle that freedom, fraternity, and equality in the society should be applied to anyone who was French, no matter the color or race. The application of this approach was witnessed in western African colonies such as Senegal where the right to citizenship and political rights were extended to residents in the cantons of Saint-Louis in the 1790s. However, the principle would be criticized by most of the French back at home. According to the monarchists, Catholics, and conservatives in France, it was wrong to give such rights to Africans instead of teaching them about the trade (In Belmessous, 2015). Notably, assimilation was predicated based on the presumption of the French culture’s superiority as well as civilization. The intention was to civilize any “barbarian” people and transform them into Frenchmen. In this way, France was able to sustain its territories a little longer.
The application of both direct and indirect rule by the British as part of its colonization policies played a critical role in making Britain the most successful among all explorers (In Belmessous, 2015). Some colonies under the British rule were directly governed by the colonial office from London, while other territories were indirectly ruled by local authorities who were being supervised behind the scenes by the advisors from Britain.
As the most successful, the British used direct control and bureaucracy in ensuring that the empire was sustainable. The British government would use the bureaucrats in enticing the locals in accepting the British rule (In Belmessous, 2015). Wives of senior bureaucrats played a critical role in dealing with the natives, including promoting and sponsoring charities as well as civic goodwill. For example, in Nigeria, Violet Bourdillon (1886–1979) was instrumental in making British appear as partners and guides instead of rulers (In Bandeira & in Pinto, 2015). Finally, it must be emphasized that the British had superior weapons and power compared to all other colonizers. In most of the battles, the British army would come out victorious, thus flexing its muscles in the protection and expansion of its territories.
In reference to the above discussion, it is clear that the British, among other explorers, had the upper hand, which made them become the most successful. The British and French were focused on settling in their new territories, unlike the Portuguese and Spaniards whose main aim was to exploit resources for the sake of trade.
References
Berkin, C. (2007). Making America: A history of the United States. Boston, Mass: Houghton
Mifflin.
Etemad, B. (2007). Possessing the world: Taking the measurements of colonization from the
eighteenth to the twentieth century. New York: Berghahn Books.
In Bandeira, J. M., & In Pinto, A. C. (2015). The ends of European colonial empires: Cases and
comparisons.
In Belmessous, S. (2015). Empire by treaty: Negotiating European expansion, 1600-1900.
