Step 56 of 95
Effects on colonized societies Economic effects
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- Drain of wealth: Raw materials extracted at low prices, finished goods sold back at high prices, profits remitted to the metropole
- Destruction of local industries: Indian textiles, Chinese tea processing, African ironwork were all undermined by competition with industrial imports
- Monoculture economies: Colonies were often forced to specialize in one or two export crops (cotton, rubber, palm oil, sugar) at the expense of food production, increasing vulnerability to famine and market volatility
- Infrastructure built for extraction: Railroads typically ran from interiors to ports, not between population centers. Useful for imperial economies but poorly designed for local development.
- Famines: Multiple catastrophic famines occurred in colonial India, Ireland, Bengal, and elsewhere, often worsened by colonial economic policies that continued food exports during shortages
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