The main theme of the book is that underdevelopment was made possible by positive feedback loops starting with the uneven development in earlier centuries enforced by European constant exploitation of raw materials and human labor from Africa. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa is an excellent introductory study for the student who wishes to better understand the dynamics of Africa’s contemporary relations with the West.ĭespite some naïve visions of the success of communism in the Soviet Union and China that might sound very silly to us (considering the book was written in 1972), this book still has some very persuasive points that explain African underdevelopment. his Marxist analysis went far beyond the heretofore accepted approach in the study of Third World underdevelopment. This pivotal work, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, had already brought a new perspective to the question of underdevelopment in Africa. When one society finds itself forced to relinquish power entirely to another society, that in itself is a form of underdevelopment.īefore a bomb ended his life in the summer of 1980, Walter Rodney had created a powerful legacy.

In relations between peoples, the question of power determines maneuverability in bargaining, the extent to which a people survive as a physical and cultural entity.

It implies the ability to defend one's interests and if necessary to impose one’s will by any means available. Power is the ultimate determinant in human society, being basic to the relations within any group and between groups. To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy Notice.The decisiveness of the short period of colonialism and its negative consequences for Africa spring mainly from the fact that Africa lost power. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie Preferences, as described in the Cookie Notice. Click ‘Customise Cookies’ to decline these cookies, make more detailed choices, or learn more. Third parties use cookies for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalised ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. This includes using first- and third-party cookies, which store or access standard device information such as a unique identifier. If you agree, we’ll also use cookies to complement your shopping experience across the Amazon stores as described in our Cookie Notice. We also use these cookies to understand how customers use our services (for example, by measuring site visits) so we can make improvements. We use cookies and similar tools that are necessary to enable you to make purchases, to enhance your shopping experiences and to provide our services, as detailed in our Cookie Notice.

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