Although countries around the world have their own history, they share common similarities in both the process of conquest and of independence. Many countries of great wealth and power at the time, dominated inferior countries, like Ghana and Chile, through religion, education, and authority. The more powerful countries controlled the daily lifestyles of the local indigenous people of less powerful nations, and the colonial life of these conquered territories differed greatly from their life prior to the invasion of foreigners as the culture and economy transformed. As for the struggle for independence, the severe conquerors enhanced the native people’s desire for independence, and as a result, these countries either resisted the conquerors’ rule nonviolently or took on the use of war. Some countries even had to form coalitions with other nations to become powerful enough to defeat their opponents.
As conquistadors dominated foreign countries, they not only introduced their religion, but also used religion as a powerful weapon to lure the native peoples to follow their rule. The Taliban, an extremely religious group of former mujahideen, proposed strict laws and punishments were austere when they took over Afghanistan. As a result, being part of the religious minority would have put the native people in a terrible spot, and the people would have had to live in fear. The smarter choice for many people would have been to convert to the new religion and to disregard the native culture to prevent unreasonable punishment or death. Despite being on a different continent with different conquerors, Colombians also began to convert to the main religion of its conquerors. Before the arrival of the Spanish, the numerous tribes living in Colombia each worshipped their own gods and respected their own traditional religion; however, with the arrival of the Spanish, the Colombians almost immediately converted to the newly introduced religion, Catholicism. With the religion change, acculturation, and intermarriage between the conquerors and the indigenous people, the imperial countries forever destroyed the native cultures and traditions among the tribes.
After an abundance of native people converted to the religion of their conquerors, the church also established schools that taught in the language of the conquerors. In Burma, the British spread the English language through schools and avoided teaching the native language, science, and technical studies. The schools brought upon new ideas to the indigenous people and enhanced the glory of the conquerors. When conditions within the country worsened, the native people fled abroad, where they continued to study western ideas. Many of these students returned to their home country and began to start revolts to promote western ideas. Also, the church offered financial assistance to underprivileged families, and in return, these families felt obliged to send their children to the Christian schools. Spain used education to maintain their power in the Philippines; however, only one out of five Filipinos was allowed to attend school.
Most children and adults did not have the chance to attend school because the conquerors forced them into cruel labor. In Chile, the Spanish government enforced labor laws, granted monopolies, and new economic policies. The economy of Chile depended on forced labor and slavery as the native people worked in the fields under terrible conditions with limited wages. Economies of many countries developed at a rapid pace especially with the discovery of faster transportation systems such as, steamboats and trains. However, in Burma, only the British could use these new transportation systems. This was to prevent trade between local villages, and to force Burma to rely on the imports of European goods.
In Chile, when the French Revolution occupied Spain, Chile began to host town meetings to promote self-government. When Spain reasserted their power by reestablishing their military supremacy, Chileans began to have a deeper desire for independence. Because Chileans couldn’t fight the Spanish alone, they allied with Argentina to create a stronger military force. Similarly in Colombia, when Spain was in a war with France, Colombia gained their independence for six years, but when the Spanish conquistadors returned to re-colonize Colombia, Colombians did not hesitate to fight for their independence. Colombians, however, managed to defeat the Spanish, but after their receiving their freedom, Colombia fell into a state of political corruption as two generals wanted different forms of government.
Other countries achieved their independence through nonviolent procedures. As Ghanaians became educated, they wanted to change the political system of the British government and instigated strikes and resistance against British rule. Through protest, bills, and uprisings, the British government had no choice, but to accept Ghana’s independence. After the native people came to acknowledge the concept of self-government, they began to notice the harsh rules of conquistadors and began to fight for their independence. Other countries, like Ghana, not only achieved their independence nonviolently, but also realized the advantages of independence through education.
Many countries in the world had to fight for their independence against a superior force. Although the conquerors came from different cultures and geographic locations, they conquered territories similarly. The conquistadors would introduce their religion, education, and force the native people to follow their political and economic laws. The conquered territories, no matter how geographically separated, shared similar factors on how they won their independence. Some countries chose to use violence while others avoided war, but at some point, all these countries strived for independence when they decided to take action for their own life. The commonalities between conquest and independence cannot be ignored and shows the similarities among humans. Whether they were western or eastern people, humans think and act similarly. As a result, ethnicity shouldn’t be what defines an individual, but their human characteristics.
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