Colonialism and the Case of Indentured Labor

Introduction

Colonialism was the aftermath of economic surplus because as the economy grew and trade flourished the major powers wanted to extend their control over other countries so that they could mine more profits and control the trade movements in the region. The colonialization of countries meant that their freedom was lost and their livelihood was controlled by the colonial power. In the late 19th century the major powers competed for their share of colonies in the world and this brought many economic, and social changes through which the colonized societies were to be part of the world economy.

African Partition

To understand the reality of colonization and how it impacted societies, we’ll take a look at an example of Africa −

By 1885 major European powers sat in Berlin to complete the partition of Africa and the major powers who took part in it where −

• Britain and France were the main powers that made large additions to their overseas territories.

• Belgium and Germany were the new colonial powers.

• The U.S. also became the newest colonial power in the 1890s as it took over some colonies which were previously captured by Spain.

Now we shall analyze how the colonial powers destroyed the livelihood and economies of the colonized people −

The aftermath of colonization can be carefully studied from the Cattle plague or Rinderpest which spread during the 1890s. This disease had a far fetching consequence in the colonized regions and the perpetrator behind such a disaster was the colonial power.

The Cattle Plague

The African main lands were extensive as their population was small and their livestock and land were the sustaining factors behind the livelihood, and here people working for wages were rare. By the late 19th century Europeans started having ambitions for the lands in Africa because of its rich resources and minerals which could be exported to Europe. But the main obstacle they faced was the shortage of labor who worked for wages.

So the major powers used many to recruit labor and some of them are –

• Heavy taxes were imposed which could only be paid by working for wages on plantations and mines.

• The laws pertaining to inheritance were changed so that peasants were displaced from their land.

• Only one member of the family was allowed to inherit their ancestral property which resulted in the other members taking labor work.

• The mine workers of Africa were isolated and were banned to move freely.

While all these instructions were carried out a sudden break out of Rinderpest disease occurred in Africa. it took its place in Africa in the 1880s and it reached from the infected cattle that were brought from British Asia, and in 5 years’ times the cattle plague had killed 90 percent of the cattle. The loss of cattle pushed most of the African population to the labor market and as the European counterparts controlled the remaining resource of cattle it was more accessible to control and conquer Africa. This was one of the stories of how the conquest of different regions was done in parts of the world during the 19th century.

Indentured Labour and Migration

Indentured labor is a form of labor that is done under contract but in place of wages the laborers are given the freedom to move back home or to a new country. In a sense, indentured labor was a form of slavery as they were abducted at times and forced to take up the labor work against their will. It is imperative to study the nature of indentured labor done in the 19th century to know the other side of colonial injustice done by the major powers.

Indentured Case of Labor in India

During the 19th century, thousands of indentured laborers were recruited from India with the promise of releasing them from the contract after working 5 years in the plantation fields. In the 1900s, the regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu faced a decrease in cottage industries, land rents rose, lands were cleared for mining and all of this affected the livelihood of the poor and they became indebted and were pushed to migrate in search of work.

The main migration of Indian indentured migrants was from the Caribbean islands and they were also recruited for the tea plantation in Assam. The agents involved in the recruitment sector were paid a small commission and many of the poor took up the labor to escape poverty more often they were not even told where they were taken to. This new form of indentured labor was a new system of slavery and they were kept inhumane conditions till the end of their contract.

It was by the 1900s that the nationalist leaders of India began to oppose the system of indentured labor and it was then abolished in 1921. And even after it was abolished the cruel system of indentured labor had its aftereffect on the people because they are still people called coolies in the Caribbean islands who are descendants of indentured labor from India and still they are trapped in poverty.

Conclusion

The colonial power used the labor of her colonies to suit her ambitions and aims, Britain was the main beneficiary of such cheap labor which made them superior in economic terms in the world. By the time the colonial power let go of her colonies most of the indentured labor was settled in another nation or were unable to come back to their home country which added more to their peril.

FAQs

Qns 1. Mention a few facts on indentured labor from India.

Ans. According to estimates about seven thousand laborers from India helped to build the Kenya–Uganda railways and about 7 percent of the laborers who helped build the railways lost their lives due to the inhumane conditions of work.

• Man eating lions attacked and killed about hundreds of men who were working on the railway construction.

• Sometimes the 5-year contracts were doubled to 10 years due to their attempt to escape.

• They had long working hours and low wages, they were whipped for small mistakes like waking up late and arriving late at work.

• The average death rate of Indians traveling to the Caribbean islands was 17 percent due to diseases like dysentery, cholera, and measles.

• Children were expected to work alongside them as early as 5 years old.

• Women from India were unable to return back because their families were not favorable in accepting them back.

• The journey to destinations took over 10 weeks to 20 weeks in inhumane conditions