Answer :
They exercise dictatorial rule over their colonies, whereas European nations are becoming increasingly democratic as a result of the alignment.
A colonial empire is a collection of territories, also known as colonies, that are either located in close proximity to the imperial center or in another country. These territories are populated by the people of a particular state and are ruled by that state.
Other empires had conquered and colonized territories prior to the rise of early modern European powers, such as the Roman Empire in Iberia and the Chinese in what is now South China. During the 15th century, there was a race for exploration between Portugal and Spain, the most advanced maritime powers in Europe at the time. The first impulse behind these dispersed maritime empires and those that followed was traded, which was driven by the new ideas and capitalism that emerged from the European Renaissance.
In 1479, 1493, and 1494, they also agreed to divide the world in half. Competition between European Christians and Ottoman Muslims led to European imperialism. The Ottoman Muslims quickly rose to power in the 14th century, forcing the Spanish and Portuguese to seek new trade routes to India and, to a lesser extent, China.
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Final answer:
European colonial powers implemented authoritarian and exploitative regimes in their colonies, contradicting Enlightenment values of reason and democratic governance. Practices included subjugation and resource extraction, highlighted by regimes such as King Leopold II's in Congo. The oppressive colonial rule fostered long-term societal issues in colonized regions.
Explanation:
The European colonial powers often contradicted the values of the Enlightenment by imposing authoritarian, militaristic, and exploitative regimes in their colonial territories. Enlightenment principles emphasized reason, equality, and democratic governance, yet colonial practices involved subjugation, extraction of resources, and suppression of indigenous governance structures. This profound contradiction is highlighted by the European administrators’ ethnocentric views of non-Western societies and their oppressive administration, seen vividly in the harsh rule of King Leopold II in the Congo Free State, whose exploitative practices were a far cry from Enlightenment ideals.
European colonialism in Africa forced local political systems to submit to European rule, ushering in a reign of terror and exploitation. The resources and labor extracted from these colonies were meant to fuel European industry, but the means by which Europeans achieved this were antithetical to Enlightenment values. Paradoxically, Europeans ‘enlightened rule’ at home was becoming more participatory and democratic while their rule in colonies was increasingly severe.
Contrary to the rise of modern nation-states in Europe driven by a wealthy capitalist class and the printing press, colonial rule deliberately undermined the development of similar structures within colonized societies. Along with the two-tiered system of governance, Europeans imposed their own economic structures to ensure profits flowed back to the metropole. These impositions stifled indigenous political and economic development, and created lasting legacies of social and political turmoil.