Analysis of how europe underdeveloped africa

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa? Human Behavior Perspective Essay
Subject
Business Finance

Question Description
Based on Walter Rodney’s analysis in “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa”, describe why the top countries in terms of human development status are primarily European, while the bottom countries are primarily African.

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Walter Rodney 1973 Walter Rodney 1973 How Europe Underdeveloped Africa Published by: Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications, London and Tanzanian Publishing House, Dar-Es-Salaam 1973, Transcript from 6th reprint, 1983; Transcribed: by Joaquin Arriola. To Pat, Muthoni, Mashaka and the extended family Contents Preface Chapter One. Some Questions on Development 1.1 What is Development 1.2 What is Underdevelopment? Chapter Two. How Africa Developed Before the Coming of the Europeans up to the 15th Century http://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/rodney-walter/how-europe/index.htm (1 of 3) [8/22/05 11:01:42 AM] How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Walter Rodney 1973 2.1 General Over-View 2.2 Concrete Examples Chapter Three. Africa’s Contribution to European Capitalist Development — the Pre-Colonial Period 3.1 How Europe Became the Dominant Section of a WorldWide Trade System 3.2 Africa’s contribution to the economy and beliefs of early capitalist Europe Chapter Four. Europe and the Roots of African Underdevelopment — to 1885 4.1 The European Slave Trade as a Basic Factor in African Underdevelopment 4.2 Technological Stagnation and Distortion of the African Economy in the Pre-Colonial Epoch 4.3 Continuing Politico-Military Developments in Africa — 1500 to 1885 Chapter Five. Africa’s Contribution to the Capitalist Development of Europe — the Colonial Period 5.1 Expatriation of African Surplus Under Colonialism http://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/rodney-walter/how-europe/index.htm (2 of 3) [8/22/05 11:01:42 AM] How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Walter Rodney 1973 5.2 The Strengthening of Technological and Military Aspects of Capitalism Chapter Six. Colonialism as a System for Underdeveloping Africa 6.1 The Supposed Benefits of Colonialism to Africa 6.2 Negative Character of the Social, Political and Economic Consequences 6.3 Education for Underdevelopment 6.4 Development by Contradiction Walter Rodney Archive | Marxism & Anti-Imperialism in Africa http://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/rodney-walter/how-europe/index.htm (3 of 3) [8/22/05 11:01:42 AM] How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Walter Rodney 1973 How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Walter Rodney 1973 Preface This book derives from a concern with the contemporary African situation. It delves into the past only because otherwise it would be impossible to understand how the present came into being and what the trends are for the near future. In the search for an understanding of what is now called “underdevelopment” in Africa, the limits of enquiry have had to be fixed as far apart as the fifteenth century, on the one hand and the end of the colonial period, on the other hand. Ideally. an analysis of underdevelopment should come even closer to the present than the end of the colonial period in the 1960s. The phenomenon of neo-colonialism cries out for extensive investigation in order to formulate the strategy and tactics of African emancipation and development. This study does not go that far, but at least certain solutions are implicit in a correct historical evaluation, just as given medical remedies are indicated or contra-indicated by a correct diagnosis of a patient’s condition and an accurate case-history. Hopefully, the facts and interpretation that follow will make a small contribution towards reinforcing the conclusion that African development is possible only on the basis of a radical break with the international capitalist system, which has been the principal agency of underdevelopment of Africa over the last five centuries. As the reader will observe, the question of development strategy is tackled briefly in the final section by A.M. Babu, former Minister of http://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/rodney-walter/how-europe/preface.htm (1 of 2) [8/22/05 11:02:45 AM] How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Walter Rodney 1973 Economic Affairs and Development Planning, who has been actively involved in fashioning policy along those lines in the Tanzanian context [n.b.: not included in this reprint]. It is no accident that the text as a whole has been written within Tanzania, where expressions of concern for development have been accompanied by considerably more positive action than in several other parts of the continent. Many colleagues and comrades shared in the preparation of this work.