Some methods in Nationalism involve Imperialism; taking over other territory so that a country or small tribe can grow. .
The silver mines of Peru and Mexico and the sugar plantations of Brazil dominated the economical development of colonial Latin America. The mineral wealth of the New World fueled the early development of European capitalism and funded Europe's greatly expanded trade with Asia. - Once established, this colonial dependence on mineral and agricultural exports left an enduring social and economic legacy in Latin America. ("The Earth and it's Peoples," 476).
Nationalism caused Europe to take what they could to benefit themselves. The resources were taken right out from under the Amerindians. The culture invasion caused them to build an economy that depended largely on their exports. The Europeans also began to convert Amerindians over to Catholicism. The Catholic religion attempted to create a unity among the people, and tried to stop the Spanish from exploiting them. The Spanish used their nationalistic views to colonize and get as much as they could from the land. Since sugar cultivation was an important commodity to the Spanish settlers, Amerindians were used as slave labor. Europe took what it needed, and left Latin American economies weak.
Western Africa is facing many problems today as well. Poverty is common throughout the region. This area doesn't have the modern conveniences that the United States possesses either. Crime runs rampant when the sun goes down. Resources are hard to come by. The current state of West Africa can mostly be attributed to the overpopulation and the social moral of the country. ""In the poor quarters of Arab North Africa," he continued, "there is much less crime because Islam provides a social anchor: of education and indoctrination. Here in West Africa we have a lot of superficial Islam and superficial Christianity."" (Kaplan.
