Ashley Nelson

International Communication
9/18/15
The Third World, also known as the Global South consists of countries that we
formerly colonized, while the First World is known to us as the colonizers. There are two
factors in the manufacturing of the Third World; Colonization and Neocolonialism. The
main colonies responsible for the colonization of the global south were The French,
Italian, Spanish, British, Portuguese, Dutch and The Belgian Colonies.
Many look at these Third World countries as poor, helpless, lazy and
undetermined to create a better nation for themselves. But the truth is that these countries,
yet poor in economic wealth, are rich with resources that come from their land. Once
wind of these resources was heard the colonizers from Europe set out to collect what was
rightfully theirs.
Colonialism is defined as a system of control by one country over the area of
another or of people outside its boarders. (Peterson, pg. 38, paragraph 8) Colonialism is
the driving force in the production of the Third World. Colonialism consists of six
building blocks which are a large part of creating the Third world. First is the robbing
of these countries, taking money from the crops, and grabbing the valuables minerals.
The colonizers were able to wrangle in the cash, and quickly.(Gage and McNair, pg. 35,
paragraph 1) Not only were they being robed of their resources there is also the inevitable
truth of the capturing of millions of humans and then begin forcing them into lives of
slavery. (Parenti, pg.64, paragraph 3)
Second, is cash crops. The crops are determined by the colonizers needs with little
to no regard for the preservation of the land and the nutritious in the soil. The price paid

for the crops were set very low and the taxes were set through the roof, leaving barley
anything for the people of the country, this often results the diminishment of a sustainable
lifestyle and often leads to famine.( Susan Gage and Don McNair, pg. 35, paragraph 4,
line 6) The same type famine that is so often thought of as the white mans burden. By
exporting these crops to Europe the indigenous people are left with no land of their own
to grow what they need to survive, and dont have enough money to buy food. (Gage and
McNair pg. 35, paragraph 4)
Third, was the deskilling of the peoples. The people of these rich Third World
lands were once very skillful and had many crafts men, but through colonial powers and
heavy taxation these trades were lost. Having been forced to give up their trade, the
colonized had to buy goods from the mother countries. (Gage and McNair, pg 35,
paragraph 3) After taking away the trade of one man, the ability to pass that trade down
is no longer an option, creating learning gap and inevitably robbing the countries ability
to create for themselves in the future.
Fourth, the colonizers created very arbitrary boarders and grouped people together
who had a lot in common or were similar in ethnicity. (Susan Gage and Don McNair,
pg.36, paragraph 1, line 1) Which as you can imagine created a slue of problems. By
stirring up suspicion among these different groups, the Europeans felt as though they
would be too busy fighting one another to be able to rise up against colonial powers.
(Susan Gage and Don McNair, pg.36, paragraph 2)
Even though there were so few colonists they had devised methods to make sure
the peoples werent able to rise up against them. (Gage and McNair, pg. 36, paragraph 3)
This has caused problems in recent history, for example the Rwandan Genocide that

started in 1994 was a huge massacre of the Hutus and the Tutsis. The colonizers split the
country of Rwanda into these two groups, based largely on the lightness of their skin and
then pitted them against one another, causing a genocide that lasted roughly 100 days
leaving nearly one million dead.
Fifth, was to appoint a comprador class. By promising power, wealth and support
to an appointed group of officials, the compradors would keep colonial law and culture in
affect, keeping the colonized helpless within their own country. (Gage and McNair, pg.
36, paragraph 7,) Appointing these people into power create yet another horrible ruler,
continuing the existing problems colonialism has caused. And sixth, the pressure of
western culture into educational, developmental, economical and agricultural areas. Not
only are these countries ripped of their resources and land, but their heritage and culture
was and is being distorted through outside influences. (Gage and McNair, pg. 37,
paragraph 1) The people were submitted to total westernization.
So much of what was going on during the colonial period has been left out of
what we know or what is seen in the media. Today a lot of the Global South is considered
lazy, unproductive, and unable to take care of themselves, as if its always been that way
and that is how its always going to be. (Parenti, pg. 64, paragraph 4) But in reality isnt
the ill-being of these countries largely to blame on the effects of colonialism? These
Third World countries are denied their freedoms not only as natives but also as human
beings. Theyre denied the ability to develop as an independent nation. (Parenti pg. 66,
paragraph 4)
Another huge factor in the manufacturing of the Third World is neocolonialism.
Once countries became independent from their colonizers relations werent burned right

away. By maintaining economic control over the formerly colonized, these independent
nations are still subject to colonial rule. Due to anxious western bankers wanting to loan
out money to these poor countries, these countries in return are furthering themselves into
debt. (Somers, pg. 78, paragraph 2) By keeping these resource rich countries poor they
can ensure the continuation of the exportation of goods within the independent nation and
collect interest. (Somers, Pg 78, Paragraph 2)
With the countries plummeting into large amounts of debt, Structural Adjustment
Programs or SAPs, were created to boost the economy of a developing country.
Although this may sound like a positive thing there are many consequences that come
with approving SAPs. There are six types of Structural Adjustment Programs; Massive
public sector layoffs, spending cuts in basic social services, crippling wage freezes and
labor suppression, devaluation of local currencies, promotion of export oriented
production and price control on food. (Somer, pg 82, paragraph 1-8) Although these
programs helped cut costs and help repay debt, they also pushed a lot of people further
into poverty. Among SAPs there are two culprits. The IMF (International Monetary Fund)
and the World Bank. The loans are made by the World Banks and the IMF monitors the
Structural Adjustment Programs. (Somer pg. 81, paragraph 1, line 1)
Europeans not only wanted control, they needed it. Through the colonization of
the Global South Europeans not only gained control, they still maintain it today, even
after nations became independent. Not only did it boost the economies of the colonizers
but it was a huge factor in the success of the industrial revolution which is a huge part of
how we live in todays society. (Peterson, pg. 41, paragraph 3) The power of colonialism

and the continuation of those practices, even today, through neocolonialism are at blame
for the manufacturing of the Third World countries of today.

References
1. Bob Peterson. Burning Books and Destroying Peoples in Bill
Bigelow and Bob Peterson, (Eds.) Rethinking Globalization:
Teaching for Justice in an Unjust World. Rethinking Schools Press.
2002. 38-43.
2. Colonialism: The Building Blocks in Bill Bigelow and Bob
Peterson, (Eds.) Rethinking Globalization: Teaching for Justice in
an Unjust World. Rethinking Schools Press. 2002. pp. 35-37.
3. Jean Somers. Debt: The New Colonialism in Debt: The New
Colonialism
4. Michael Parenti.

Myths of Underdevelopment" in Against

Empire.
5. Susan Gage and Don McNair. Colonialism: The Building Blocks
in Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson, (Eds.) Rethinking Globalization:
Teaching for Justice in an Unjust World. Rethinking Schools Press.
2002. pp. 35-37.