Racial Attitudes during Colonization

In order to fully understand the racial dynamic in Europe in the late 19th and early 20th century, a brief overview of imperial attitudes throughout the colonial period is necessary. The prevailing current in history is that the feeling of superiority by Europeans began with the Spanish conquest of the American continent. Judging from the writings of Cortez, the civilizations they encountered were, in their eyes, crude and hedonistic. In the eyes of the conquistadores, it was their duty not only to conquer ruthlessly, but to bring civilizing aspects and ways of life to these brutish cultures.

Attitudes of racial and cultural superiority surely did not stop with the Spanish. As free labor began to arrive in the New World either via indentured servitude or African Slavery, a hierarchical society began to develop based on race. As society matured, the presumed superiority of Europeans became largely ingrained in colonial society. This hierarchy was by no means confined to the Americas. British colonization of Africa and India exemplifies the arrogance of European colonialism. The Euro-centric attitudes that colonizers stubbornly adhered to mandated that African and Indian societies, much like the Americas, develop a racially based class system.

While it is widely established and accepted that colonization took on a racial dimension, there is also little doubt that European societies merely wanted their subject to 'be like them'. Thomas Macaulay articulated the goals of British colonial imperialism most succinctly: "We must do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern, a class of persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, words and intellect." [citation] Surely, this is an interesting view of colonialism and one that is visible in almost every imperial society dating back to the Roman Republic/Empire. At some level, the British did not care about race, but of assimilation. Though they recoiled at the thought of Indians dining in the same clubhouse, playing cricket on the same field or drinking in the same establishment, they strove to develop a common thread between British and Indian societies.

So if it can be deduced that European colonialism was not only constructed on racial hierarchy but an inherent feeling of cultural superiority, how is this any different than global empire dating back to before the creation of the Roman Empire? I argue that the construction of a racial society was in fact a secondary aim of European colonialism from 1492-1947. Instead, like similar global empires throughout history, (Roman, Greek, Persian, Chinese) the primary pressure on subjugated societies was to transform itself into the conquering society. Imperial nations wanted the subjugated societies to believe what they believed, dress how they dressed and overall, take on the values and moral beliefs practiced and carried by the conquering culture.

The assertion that conquering cultures aimed for assimilation abroad leads to a broader and more difficult question on the European continent. Because numerous ethnic groups live in such close quarters throughout Europe, the quest or, better yet, pressure to assimilate with the more powerful group of people is not a phenomena exported, learned and developed through colonialism, but one that was quite common in Europe in the years preceding colonial expansion into racially diverse areas. It is also apparent that, to some degree, the pressure put on subjugated cultures in Europe is analogous to the pressure put on subjugated culture in places such as India, Africa or the Americas. In short, the overt attempts at cultural assimilation practiced by expansive European colonizing forces were only an extension of the cultural interactions at home.It is my opinion that attempts by Europeans to assimilate cultures such as the Jews or Gypsies into the European system are no different than later attempts to assimilate other cultures through formal means of imperialism.

Next Question: What was the extent of European cultural assimilation prior to and throughout the very early stages of colonialism?