Introduction

As people noted this very well, colonization was initially an economic fact “It can be defined as the exploitation of the colonized country with the only profit of the metropolis” (Cornevin, 1973:50). If it is true that the forms of political and cultural domination were different from a colonial system to another, “the indigenous policy” endeavored to maintain the Blacks in situations of inferiority. The French believed that the colonized people were able to reach European civilizations, but did not have any consideration for African civilizations which they gradually destroyed. It seems that the British respected the African traditions more, but one looks at it very closely, this was a disinterest and contempt for all that was not British. As for the Belgians and the Portuguese, they only through of the economic exploitation of their colonies.

What is in this block?

There are 4 sections in this block:

Section 1: Colonial systems

Section 2: Political and administrative transformations

Section 3: Economic transformations

Section 4: Social and cultural transformations

Estimated study time

We think that you will need 7 or 8 hours to do all the activities of this block.

Learning objectives

By the end of this block, you should be able to:

• describe the different colonial systems;
• explain the main transformations of the African continent during colonization

How will I assess my learning in this block?

This block contains 4 activities. They are designed to help you to evaluate your progress in the study of the contents of the block.

After having studied each section of this module, do the activities, which are proposed to you. Compare then your answers with those, which are suggested at the end of the block. If you encountered difficulties, please review the section.

If difficulties persist, it is absolutely necessary to ask for assistance from a colleague or your tutor in the centre.