NEO-COLONIALISM IN AFRICA

Abstract

Neo-Colonialism is a term that is commonly used in a variety of academic literature, dealing with the history of the capitalist system, its expansion, and contemporary world affairs. The term is originally derived from a contrast made by V.I. Lenin in a pamphlet entitled “Imperialism”, which was originally published in 1939. His contrast was between direct political domination through force of arms and “domination by extra political means”. Early colonialism characterized the period from the beginning of the age of European exploration and expansion to the gaining of granting independence to former colonies. It essentially involved the imposition of the centralized political rule upon non-western peoples, using various means of direct political compulsion (Lenin. 1965).