During 1877, the British annexed Transvaal, which was the home to many Boers. The Boers attacked several of the Britain’s, showing no mercy to anyone on their way. They revolted in 1881, which led them to a victory over the British. The Boers were back in control, until further greed got the best of the British. But instead of diamonds, this time Britain’s were chasing after gold.
The problem involving blood diamonds is that there are many victims that suffer from conflict diamonds, many of which include diamond miners. Many diamonds are harvested using practices that exploit children, communities and the workers. Those that attempt to escape the mining camps or try to steal the mined gem face a punishment of having their limbs removed or instantaneous death. Numerous miners find diamonds willingly, hoping to find a large diamond that will change their life since a considerably high number of miners (willing or not) are suffering from poverty. Many people have been killed retrieving the gems; about 3.7 million have died in diamond-fuelled wars.
Conflict diamonds are gemstones and diamonds that are mined or stolen by rebels fighting internationally recognized diamonds, primarily in African countries. The major groups that benefitted from the trade in conflict diamonds were the rebel groups such as RUF who used the conflict diamonds to finance their inhuman and anti government operations by buying weapons, supplies and food. In addition to such rebel groups, smugglers who smuggle diamonds across international borders and sell the diamonds illegally are also the other beneficiaries. The primary group that was hurt by this is the poor and already struggling communities in Africa, who faced cruelty such as amputation and even death by the actions of the rebels in their quest for the diamonds. The other group that was hurt by conflict diamonds is the government of the respective countries, who not only lost crucial revenues, but also had to control and face the rebel groups that grew in power due to the conflict diamonds.
The high hopes of land filled with gold were soon dashed by the confrontation of hostile indigenous Indians and constant experiences of starvation by the settlers. As the colony appeared to be on the verge of collapse, it found its saviour in the labour extensive industry of tobacco cultivation. The fate of the Virginian economy now rested primarily on indentured servants from the British Isles and not African imported slaves. The harsh conditions and strict discipline endured by indentured labourers, and likewise the Indian community, resembled the brutal system that the black slaves would be subjected to at the turn of the century. It became clear that the new world was a profit-seeking enterprise, and there was no moral objection to the exploitation towards your fellow race.
Unfair trade rules forced on poor countries by the World Bank and IMF are having a disastrous effect on local farmers and are putting many of them out of business. Photographer Ian Berry travelled to Ghana with Christian Aid to document the impact of current international trade rules on farmers, traders and poor communities as they struggle to sustain their livelihoods. Just as the 18th century slave trade was about the abuse of economic power and foreign control, so international trading relations between rich and poor countries is much the same today. Is this trading injustice just a modern day slave trade? One of the most striking images of the exhibition was taken with Cape Coast Castle as an imposing backdrop to a thriving local fishing community.
Colonialism and post colonialism have had a profound effect on humanity for the past century, in particular Sierra Leone, Africa with the excessive labour enforcement directed for the privileged resource, diamonds. The withdrawal of colonial powers from Africa has resulted in the post-colonial paradigm of failed states ruled by rebels dominated by violence and warfare. Edward Zwick has skillfully swathed his production, “Blood Diamond” in a veil of torment, highlighting the concealed activities of the Western Societies and the “blood” within “diamonds”. Leaving one to question their sanity and their relations to the ongoing corrupted materialistic society. Sierra Leone’s independence from Great Britain in 1961 saw it develop into a typical post-colonial ‘failed state’ with a corrupt government challenged by the rebel group RUF.
Fueled by greed and corruption, Taylor seized the country’s gold and diamond fields. Taylor lunched its military invasion in, a conflict characterized with recruitment of child soldiers, massacres, looting and rapes. Taylor overthrew the increasingly tyrannical president Doe. Taylor movement crossed into Sierra Leone and began a campaign of violence and intimidation. Taylor traded arms for blood (or conflict) diamond, and capitalizing on the country’s precious stones by moving it from Sierra Leone to Liberia.
At the time, many noted on how discovery of gold and diamonds in the region lead to war such as the Manchester Guardian (source 1) and Lloyd George (source 2) though these few were overshadowed by the vast majority of influential figures and newspapers at the time. The Manchester Guardian, often regarded as a socialist paper, took a strong liberal stance before, during and after the war. It is not surprising that the newspaper would take this stance especially after the break down of negotiations which occurred shortly before this article was published; the paper would have seen this as a breach of basic human rights as the Boers were willing to agree to terms to stop the war. The paper also was not blind to the profits that were potentially to gain by British intervention this lead to the concept of the war being “waged on behalf of capitalists” but as it is a radical liberal newspaper which has a reader base to satisfy so this may be a dramatization of the spirit behind the statement likewise when the statement reads “[in regards to the war] not in the real interests of the Empire” which is clearly an overstatement as the war would increase the Empire’s land ownership and give a large monetary increase making it able to further its own agenda. These ideas are not mentioned in Joseph Chamberlin’s address to parliament just 6 months before stating categorically that the war is in both the best interests of the Empire by “going to war in defence of the principles upon which the British Empire has been founded.” but also in the defence of the British people residing in
An opportunity for him emerged when he was sent to Africa to search the whereabouts of an explorer, Livingstone, who had gone to Africa on an exploring mission and never came back. When he went back to America, his articles, books and interviews brought him wealth and fame. 10. How did the Industrial Revolution contribute to the Scramble for Africa? The industrial revolution contributed to the Scramble for Africa because Europe hoped that Africa would be a source of raw materials to feed on the industrial revolution.
Instead of focusing on the obvious unconstitutional and emotional treachery of slavery which is very much overdone, the economic event was very much overlooked. Though its strong economic gain for the entire nation forever impacted our dominance, the negative effects will always pour through. It was the existence of slavery, with its negative impact on politics, economics, and social relations that fatally crippled the South in its bid for independence. The slave trade eventually played a central role in determining the fate of the South, as a business that created a unified South under proslavery ideology and encouraged western migration to preserve the institution of slavery. As mentioned by William Harper, “The cultivation of the great staple crop cannot be carried on without slaves.” (Harper, Memoir in Slavery, 1837) In a time of western expansion and the cotton boom, some slave traders were able to accumulate great wealth from the slave-trading business and sought opportunities to acquire higher social status and financial stability.