History 102 with WhatifAltHist's Rudyard Lynch and Austin Padgett

Explaining African Colonialism


Listen Later

In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett present a critique of the lasting social, cultural, and economic changes that emerged from the 1960s, with particular focus on how these changes continue to shape modern African society.


--

đź“° Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess

--


SPONSOR: NETSUITE | SHOPIFY | ORACLE

More than 40,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. If you're looking for an ERP platform, get a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program on NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/zen - Download your free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning.


Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/momentofzen


Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): Oracle's next-generation cloud platform delivers blazing-fast AI and ML performance with 50% less for compute and 80% less for outbound networking compared to other cloud providers. OCI powers industry leaders like Vodafone and Thomson Reuters with secure infrastructure and application development capabilities. New U.S. customers can get their cloud bill cut in half by switching to OCI before March 31, 2024 at https://oracle.com/cognitive



--


FOLLOW ON X:

@whatifalthist (Rudyard)

@LudwigNverMises (Austin)

@TurpentineMedia


--


KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DISCUSSION:


Africa's Geography and Disease Environment:

  • Africa's massive size is emphasized (larger than China, America, India, and Western Europe combined)
  • The equatorial regions had devastating diseases (malaria, yellow fever, sleeping sickness) that limited population density
  • European colonizers faced 80% mortality rates in regions like Nigeria due to these diseases
  • Pre-Colonial African Context:

    • Muslim kingdoms and trade networks existed across the Sahel region for centuries before European colonization
    • Arab traders and Omani empire controlled the east coast of Africa
    • Africa had significantly lower population density than Europe until modern medicine arrived
    • Phases of European Colonization:

      • Early phase (1500s-1850s): Primarily coastal forts for slave trading and resupplying
      • Scramble for Africa (1880s-1910): Rapid carving up of the entire continent
      • Most of Africa was colonized for a relatively short period (roughly 60 years)
      • Economic Reality of Colonialism:

        • European powers invested more in Africa than they extracted economically
        • Only a few colonies (South Africa, Togo) were profitable
        • Africa represented less than 1% of British foreign trade at colonialism's peak
        • Different Colonial Approaches:

          • British: Prioritized self-governance, local institutions, and law
          • French: Focused on cultural assimilation and equality through French identity
          • Belgians: Emphasized social development after the Leopold atrocities
          • Portuguese: Maintained more exploitative practices
          • South Africa as a Special Case:

            • Developed as a settler colonial society similar to Australia/Canada
            • Conflict between British and Boers (Dutch settlers)
            • Discussion of apartheid and its legacy
            • Post-Colonial Challenges:

              • Artificial borders created by European powers causing ongoing conflicts
              • Resource extraction infrastructure designed to take wealth out of Africa
              • First generation of post-colonial leaders trained in Western universities with socialist ideologies
              • Legacy and Future Prospects:

                • Discussion of how British colonial institutions provided some advantages over other colonial systems
                • Africa's potential to develop new forms of civilization due to not being constrained by historical patterns
                • The role of Christianity in Africa's future development
                • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

                  ...more
                  View all episodesView all episodes
                  Download on the App Store

                  History 102 with WhatifAltHist's Rudyard Lynch and Austin PadgettBy Turpentine

                  • 4.3
                  • 4.3
                  • 4.3
                  • 4.3
                  • 4.3

                  4.3

                  89 ratings


                  More shows like History 102 with WhatifAltHist's Rudyard Lynch and Austin Padgett

                  View all
                  The Martyr Made Podcast by Darryl Cooper

                  The Martyr Made Podcast

                  5,221 Listeners

                  Conversations with Tyler by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

                  Conversations with Tyler

                  2,379 Listeners

                  Uncommon Knowledge by Hoover Institution

                  Uncommon Knowledge

                  1,989 Listeners

                  "YOUR WELCOME" with Michael Malice by PodcastOne

                  "YOUR WELCOME" with Michael Malice

                  2,142 Listeners

                  ManifoldOne by Steve Hsu

                  ManifoldOne

                  87 Listeners

                  GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution by Hoover Institution

                  GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution

                  670 Listeners

                  Dwarkesh Podcast by Dwarkesh Patel

                  Dwarkesh Podcast

                  327 Listeners

                  Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning by Razib Khan

                  Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning

                  199 Listeners

                  Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist by Joe Lonsdale

                  Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist

                  147 Listeners

                  "Moment of Zen" by Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez

                  "Moment of Zen"

                  89 Listeners

                  "The Cognitive Revolution" | AI Builders, Researchers, and Live Player Analysis by Erik Torenberg, Nathan Labenz

                  "The Cognitive Revolution" | AI Builders, Researchers, and Live Player Analysis

                  86 Listeners

                  "Upstream" with Erik Torenberg by Erik Torenberg

                  "Upstream" with Erik Torenberg

                  65 Listeners

                  Pirate Wires by Pirate Wires

                  Pirate Wires

                  113 Listeners

                  "Media Empires" | The Business of Newsletters, Podcasts, Creators, and Data Acquisition by Turpentine

                  "Media Empires" | The Business of Newsletters, Podcasts, Creators, and Data Acquisition

                  11 Listeners

                  "In The Arena" by Turpentine

                  "In The Arena"

                  16 Listeners

                  "The Hill & Valley" by Jacob Helberg, Delian Asparouhov, Christian Garrett

                  "The Hill & Valley"

                  11 Listeners

                  "Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg by Turpentine

                  "Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg

                  138 Listeners

                  "Turpentine VC" | Venture Capital and Investing by Erik Torenberg

                  "Turpentine VC" | Venture Capital and Investing

                  20 Listeners

                  "Tech Finance" with Sasha Orloff: B2B Fintech | AI | Finance Tech by Puzzle, Turpentine

                  "Tech Finance" with Sasha Orloff: B2B Fintech | AI | Finance Tech

                  43 Listeners

                  "1 to 1000" | Scaling Startups with CEOs by Turpentine

                  "1 to 1000" | Scaling Startups with CEOs

                  2 Listeners

                  "The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg by Byrne Hobart, Erik Torenberg

                  "The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

                  21 Listeners

                  "Live Players" with Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg by Turpentine

                  "Live Players" with Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg

                  39 Listeners

                  “HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies by HR Heretics

                  “HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies

                  47 Listeners

                  "Request for Startups" with Erik Torenberg by OK I'm Building It.

                  "Request for Startups" with Erik Torenberg

                  4 Listeners

                  Emergent Behavior by Turpentine

                  Emergent Behavior

                  7 Listeners

                  "WhatifAlthist" | World History, Philosophy, Culture by Rudyard Lynch

                  "WhatifAlthist" | World History, Philosophy, Culture

                  58 Listeners

                  "Autopilot" with Will Summerlin by Will Summerlin | Turpentine

                  "Autopilot" with Will Summerlin

                  4 Listeners

                  "NBA Talk" by Erik Torenberg, Reuben Torenberg, Frak

                  "NBA Talk"

                  4 Listeners

                  Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11) by Patrick McKenzie

                  Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11)

                  113 Listeners

                  "Second Opinion" with Christina Farr, Ash Zenooz MD & Luba Greenwood JD by Christina Farr, Luba Greenwood, Ash Zenooz

                  "Second Opinion" with Christina Farr, Ash Zenooz MD & Luba Greenwood JD

                  15 Listeners

                  "This Won't Last" with Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg by Turpentine, Keith Rabois, Logan Bartlett, Zach Weinberg, Kevin Ryan

                  "This Won't Last" with Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg

                  14 Listeners