Chapter 20 Reflections

Strayer entitled the period of European expansion into East Africa and Southeast Asia between 1750 and 1900 as the "Second Wave." I think his word choice here exactly conveys the reality of the situation with wave suggesting an endless stream, a cycle that merely increases in intensity as rising and falling water. Europeans cannot seem to function without the invasion of territory, without constant conquering and constant expansion. I believe in growth, though I do not think it needs to literally define as the growth of the country across the planet. Interestingly, though this may come from a biased understanding of history as my education simply falls in the cycle of European conquest, it seems the main world powers, such as Germany, France, Spain, Britain, Portugal, uniquely have the drive for constant expansion. I understand that Spain and Portugal did not participate as widely and devotedly to the "second wave" as their influential counterparts; however, their role previously in expansion and conquering of peoples includes them within the list. The vast improvement in industry, science, medicine, and agriculture broadened the abilities of the Europeans, leading them to a superior position economically and militarily to facilitate their dominance in the world. I find it interesting to contemplate the scene had the oppressed countries experienced the vast growth of the Europeans.

Cooperation resulted in the easy transition for certain individuals into the control of the European invaders, however, whether or not certain individual morals were sacrificed in order to retain a certain amount of status within the country. Strayer describes that individuals participating in the peaceful assimilation were either men joining the European militaries that occupied the regions or the elites of the once sovereign countries. The difficulty in maintaing self-derived principles in the face of a stronger, invading force though the necessity to join the forces against the people undergoing massive, forced change is debatable. As understanding by Strayer's words, the main motive of these individuals in entire cooperation came from the drive to attain "status and privileges" as well as "gaining considerable wealth" by means "both legally and otherwise" (595). Otherwise than legal methods in order to retain certain social statuses and indulge in previously unexperienced wealth, as interpreted by Strayer, seems to be a manipulation of the power at hand in order to exploit the citizens of the country by both the perpetrators and the victims themselves.

In regards to the constant, repetitive, seemingly unavoidable segregation of individuals by racial barriers, the comfort of those in power to remain in power by enacting rules of separation, in my opinion, arises from the insecurities and laziness of individuals to achieve success through work. They prefer to implement systems of comparison, such as the European "masters" to the African "boys" and the frightened reaction to intellectual Asians and Africans, to attain automatic, unearned, and undeserved supremacy (597). The inability to handle their fear leads to the resorting to anger and violence, and thus the cycle continues.