The Colonial Economy

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By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to;

Understand the economic conditions in East Africa before and after the introduction of the colonial economy in East Africa. Know the features of the colonial economy in East Africa. Understand the reasons why the colonial administration encouraged both peasant/ subsistence and plantation farming. Understand why industries were established in colonial East Africa. Know the impact of the development of the transport system in colonial East Africa. Understand the social and health problems that were faced by the East Africans during the colonial period. Appreciate the impact of the colonial economy in East Africa.

Keywords

Administration Colonial Economy Peasant system Plantation Agriculture Industry Railway Transport Subsistence  Transition

The focus of this chapter is to understand the economic conditions of East Africa before and after the introduction of the colonial economy.

Teacher Preparation: First study this chapter thoroughly and understand it.

Hint:  Possible teaching methods to be used include: Storytelling, brainstorming, field trips, guided discovery, discussion, etc.

Learning materials: Video clips, charts, newspaper cut-outs, documentaries, field trips, library sources.

Skills: Interactivity, communication, writing, planning, organization, photographic interpretation, analysis, critical thinking, categorizing, and recognition.

As much as possible, the teacher should try to see that the learner understands the chapter being handled by using the above hints.

Teacher Instruction: In a creative way, introduce the learners to the colonial economy of East Africa. Remember that they have already been introduced to it in the previous chapter, but now they have to understand its background, development, and effects. Engage the learners in the tasks given; guide them through discussions, and ensure that they note down important points.

Introduction After studying this chapter, the learner will be able to understand the impact of road networks and the general colonial economy in East Africa. In the previous chapter, the learner learnt about the colonial

administrative systems used by European colonialists in East Africa. Colonial Economy was established to support Colonial Administration activities of mobilizing resources and exploiting the East African economies. The colonialists designed a colonial economy in order to achieve their imperial goals.

In this chapter, the learner will explore the impact of road networks, agricultural development, establishment of health facilities, and the challenges faced by both East Africans and Whites in the colonial economic activities. The learner will find out the relevance of this colonial economy in today’s lime light of East African economies.

In this system, Europeans were superior while the Africans were inferior. While East Africans supplied minerals and other raw materials to European markets the Europeans provided manufactured goods to African markets.  The Whites were successful in this business for they determined the prices for both African and European goods. The East Africans were cheated twice in this business. 

In class, ask your neighbor what your country mostly depends upon for export.

1. Who extracts such resources for the country?
2. Who determines its prices?
3. What challenges does your country meet in processing and transporting such products?
4. Who benefits most when this product is finally sold to foreign countries?

Such interaction will make learners understand how today’s governments have also designed a similar economy to support their government operations. You will find that the peasant is the most hard-working person in the extraction of natural resources, but the highest beneficiary

private sector that exports the product at a higher price. The government also benefits by taxing the exports. A good case in point is the coffee production in Uganda today as shown in  were for family survival, and the surplus was sold to nearby communities using the barter system of exchange in a local trade. The common activities carried out included:

• Artisan industry or simple manufacturing (Iron works)
• Hunting
• Subsistence farming
• Artisanal mining
• Subsistence fishing as seen in the figures below: