Aime Cesaire's "Discourse on Colonialism"

This chapter is about the negative effects of European colonialism. To justify colonialism, Europeans created the idea that colonization was a just cause because it created civilization. The Europeans argued the people they colonized were savage because they had less advanced technology and they were not Christian, and the Europeans said they were civilizing these people by providing them with more advanced technology and teaching them Christianity. Cesaire opposed this claim, arguing that the Europeans only colonized for personal gain. Cesaire said it was obvious Europeans were not colonizing to create civilization for the inhabitants of the colonies. Europeans treated their inhabitants with severe cruelty, and the Europeans treated the inhabitants with inferiority. The Europeans did build roads, port cities and teach the inhabitants certain skills. However, they did these things not to advance civilization for the inhabitants; they did these things only for the benefit of their Empires. The Europeans thought the inhabitants were like animals, and treated them like they treated animals. When the inhabitants were a barrier to advancing the European empires, they were eliminated. Europeans butchering inhabitants is not civilized; it is savage. Colonial conquest is fueled by contempt for the natives. The Europeans relieved their guilt by thinking of the natives as animals, and therefore justifying treating them like animals. However, as a result of this thought process, the European colonizers ended up having their own thought processes changed to animal-like thoughts. European colonization results in savageness, and therefore the thought that European colonization is just because it creates civilization is incorrect.