Colonization continues to be blamed for the state of the world's poor.
The rich countries in the world today either:
- were colonial powers (United Kingdom) or were no colonial power (Switzerland)
- occupy land rich in natural resources, which until recently was occupied by aboriginal peoples (Norway or Canada), or
- (what's the correct answer here?) embarked on a campaign of modernization? involving government-funded universal education, protection of certain industries, followed free market policies (Hong Kong)...
Examples of former colonies that have successfully developed:[1]
- Taiwan
- Korea
- Singapore
...and to a lesser extent:
- Malaysia
- China
Questions
- Does the history of non-colonies - Thailand & Japan - give us any insight into the path of development?
- Was (occupied) Japan better off than former colonies in the late 40s?
See also
Interwiki links
Notes
- ↑ This is a spectrum of course, but it is hoped that by looking at the most successful, we may see some patterns, as well as challenge false generalizations. A far more thorough and rigorous analysis would be useful and no doubt has been done - but where?[expansion needed]