Introduction
Latin America was colonized mainly by Portuguese and Spaniards in the late 15th century (Gibson, 2019). Latin America includes all countries in Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Portuguese and Spanish empires remained in Latin America for over three centuries, leaving remarkable influence. Like all other types of colonialism around the world, the Latin American colonialists used exploitation and cultural repression to run their agenda. The colonization was centered on the European desire to control lands and resources and get cheap labor (Gibson, 2019). The colonizers usurped indigenous political and cultural institutions to gather status, glory, and, most importantly, wealth. In their search for power, the colonizers dehumanized the indigenous people, damaged their societies, and changed their religion, causing a permanent shift that is seen to date. Spanish Conquistadors are believed to have been the most tyrant, working the native people to death, separating men from women to stop reproduction, and doing everything to wipe out their culture and societies.
Spanish and Portuguese are the widely used languages in Latin America, and the region is primarily Catholic, just like their colonizers. Colonialization resulted in ethnogenesis, where new societies and cultures defined the society’s political, economic, and social aspects. Latin America gained its independence in 1825, and the colonial period (1492-1810) is a remarkable era that shaped how the countries are until today (McClure, 2019). The paper aims to research colonialism’s lasting effect on Latin American politics, economics, gender, and society.
Effect of Colonialism on Politics
Many aspects of the political organization of Latin America are shaped by the colonial period. After independence, the political turmoil did not end, as disputes over civil wars and national borders remained. Most countries retained the political organization used by the colonialists (Weaver, 2018). Central administration, mercantilist policies, and social hierarchy characterized the colonialist political system. The political life was militarized, meaning that military men occupied most civil administrative positions. The political leaders were dictatorial and oppressive. Ideologies of inequality, racism, corruption, and oppression of people with low incomes were common, whereby the ruling class was able to acquire much wealth and power to the disadvantage of the rest (Gibson, 2019). Even after independence, many Latin American countries were imperiled by dictatorships, authoritarian regimes, and military coups often supported by their colonizers. Many countries continue to experience poverty, political instability, and inequality due to poor leadership, as it was during colonization. The democratization process has been slow and unsuccessful because most citizens were not trained in good governance during colonial rule, so they adopted oppressive, unfair systems (Arceneaux, 2017).
Though most of the revolutionary armies that fought for independence in Latin America were people of color, those underclasses were ignored after the victory. Governments were designed in a way that whites were in powerful seats, and darker races were left in servitude. To date, many countries suffer from the same trend of bigotry institutionalized by Spaniards. In the 1970s, 17 out of 20 nations in Latin America were still governed by dictators, and the long period of colonialism created independence for their colonizers (McClure, 2019). Many of these countries suffer from foreign intervention that still dictates how they govern to meet the interests of their colonies. Though the democratization of Latin America in the 1970s has brought significant improvements in politics, undemocratic elites are still the majority in regional polities (Arceneaux, 2017). The countries continue to experience significant violations of human rights. The use of forced labor by colonialists through slavery and debt bondage has significant consequences for the communities today. Nonetheless, colonialists introduced a system of government and structures that were foundational in building the leadership structures and opened up the countries to the world.
Effect of Colonialism on economics
The main reason for the colonization of Latin America was to obtain wealth through lands and other resources. During the colonial period, Latin America was one of the significant exports of sugar and silver, among other raw materials. The colonizers ferried enslaved people from Africa to work on farms and create wealth through all means (Gibson, 2019). They brought new crops, technologies, and animals, which helped the economies. The colonizers exploited the resources and lands and developed a culture of exploitation and extraction that remained even after independence. There were social classes and unequal wealth distribution; the high class was filthy, rich, and powerful, and the lower class was impoverished. The classes remain to date, with great inequality and wealth distribution. The small elite governing group adopted the practice of exploiting natural resources for extractive industries, which, in the long run, has resulted in environmental degradation and land conflicts in some parts of Latin America.
The colonizers created an export-oriented economy, making the countries dependent on foreign markets and lacking economic diversification (Weaver, 2018). The independence was accompanied by poor leadership and political instability, leading to a decline in economic activity. Many of the inhabitants of Latin America needed to be more educated and needed more proper knowledge to compete fairly and grow the economy. Despite this part of the world having rich resources, it has remained poor economically over the years due to the poor practices passed over by colonization. Nonetheless, the colonialists introduced new farming methods like plantations, drugs to handle diseases, helpful technologies, and significant economic education to the countries (McClure, 2019). Communication and transport were improved, leading to urbanization and improved living standards. Though most of the economic activities introduced favored colonialists, the skills remained with the people. They helped them catch up with the industrial revolution happening in the world.
Effect of Colonization on Gender
Colonialism in Latin America cemented inequalities in gender that were common in many communities around the world. The colonial rule was for a patriarchal system where men were believed to be more powerful than women and were supposed to be more powerful, active, and independent (Lavrin, 2019). Women were viewed as passive and dependent and were often subject to sexual abuse. The colonists’ introduction of Christianity further pushed the patriarchal system. Women’s physical movements were scrutinized, and they did not have the right to own property without male approval. The men defined and controlled the justice system. Race and class were critical indeterminant gender roles where white and rich women enjoyed more privileges. Even after colonialism, there remained significant inequality issues in Latin America today. There are many cases of gender-based violence and femicide due to the normalized culture of impunity. Women have been forced to resist toxic patriarchy from their fellowmen and foreign invaders, and their problems did not end with independence. Many feminist movements have emerged to fight for women’s rights and push for gender equality (Lavrin, 2019).
Effects of Colonialism on Society
Like many other colonizers, Latin American colonizers used ethnogenies to be able to control their colonies. This included changing the society’s culture, practices, religion, and leadership and forcing them to adopt a new society. The colonizers forced their religion and language on the indigenous people and deliberately suppressed their traditional practices and identity. The loss of their original cultural diversity made them adopt a new life form, making it easier to manipulate and control them. The colonizers introduced their own legal and political systems, thus eroding their traditional form of leadership and conflict resolution (Gibson, 2019). The colonies gave the countries a unified language, Spanish and Portuguese, and a common religion, mainly Catholicism, which has remained. Their system of governance favored colonizers over the locals, creating a culture of inequality and social class even after independence. The new society now included people from different origins, indigenous people, enslaved Africans, Europeans, and other immigrants, forming a new society with new cultures and practices. Their cultural practices, such as painting, clothing, social responsibilities, etc., were dissolved entirely.
Conclusion
Colonialism had a significant and long-lasting impact on Latin America. However, Latin America was primarily colonized by Portugal and Spain; Britain, France, and the Netherlands also controlled it for some time. The different powers exercised various influences on the countries’ economy, politics, societies, and cultures to date. Latin America consists of many countries that have revived differently after independence. However, significant practices, cultures, and systems can be traced back to the back colonization.
References
Arceneaux, C. L. (2017). An institutional approach to democracy and democratization in Latin America. Democratic Latin America, 1–35. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315544991-1
Gibson, C. (2019). Imagining the Hispanic past. Transnational Perspectives on the Conquest and Colonization of Latin America, pp. 236–248. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429330612-19
Lavrin, A. (2019). Women in Latin America: Current research trends. Researching Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, pp. 7–35. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429304521-2
McClure, J. (2019). Translating Franciscan poverty in colonial Latin America. Transnational Perspectives on the Conquest and Colonization of Latin America, pp. 49–60. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429330612-5
Weaver, F. S. (2018). Latin America in the World Economy, 23–34. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429499357
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