Also, some countries occupied colonies in order to protect previous investments. In Egypt, a nationalist uprising in 1882 threatened the ruling Egyptian powers with which Britain had an informal agreement regarding the Suez Canal, of which the British government had purchased part ownership. When Britain saw its investments in and its control of the canal in jeopardy, it occupied Egypt to control the situation. .
Some European colonizing powers justified their colonial activities on what they called humanitarian motives. In the 19th century, Britain cited the African slave trade as a reason to increase its control over areas in Africa. Of course, the British had been leaders in the slave trade at its height in the previous century.
#2 .
COLONIAL ECONOMIES .
The two broad types of colonies "settlement and exploitation "had very different types of economies.
A Colonies of Settlement .
Colonies of settlement began by specializing in what are called primary products. These products included commodities such as wool, in New Zealand, and gold, in South Africa. Over time, however, economies of settlement colonies came to resemble those of European nations: their agriculture diversified, and they developed manufacturing industries.
Because most settlement colonies gained political self-rule early, they could use protective tariffs (taxes on imports) to shelter their young industries. These industries could grow without competition from more advanced industries in other countries. The result was high-wage labor and a high standard of living, both for white settlers. Examples of settlement colonies that followed this model include British colonies in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
B Colonies of Exploitation The colonies of exploitation had very different experiences: they remained politically dependent on the mother country and economically underdeveloped. Even after they achieved independence, many colonies of exploitation found developing their economies difficult.
