Political Systems against Colonialism

Colonialism was never just about land it was about control, subjugation, and restructuring societies for the benefit of the colonizer. A perfect example is Hong Kong. For 156 years, it remained under British rule as a direct outcome of imperial expansion through the Opium Wars. Ironically, during all those years, the Chinese population in Hong Kong the majority had no democracy. Only when the British were handing it back to China did they experiment with a pseudo democratic framework under the “one country, two systems” deal.

But here’s the contradiction: many young Hong-kongers wave the British flag in protest today. Do they realize that the same flag once symbolized the denial of their democratic rights? Their fight against the extradition bill evolved into a larger cry for democracy, but at the cost of massive economic damage. Small businesses suffered, multinational companies began questioning their base in Hong Kong, and the city’s global standing took a hit. The irony is glaring fighting for freedom while clinging to the symbols of the colonizer.

This is how colonialism works it shapes political systems even long after direct rule has ended. Colonialism laid the foundations of today’s global hierarchy: the West positioned as the “standard bearer” of democracy and economic power, while former colonies remain in a cycle of catching up, struggling with fractured institutions and borrowed governance models. Whether through imposed parliamentary systems, economic dependencies, or lingering social hierarchies, the blueprint of colonialism is visible everywhere.

If we strip it down further, colonialism is simply an extension of tribalism on a global scale. In Africa, powerful tribes sold slaves to Europeans, Arabs, and Americans who in turn re-traded them for profit. That primitive exploitation matured into “political slavery,” where today tribes compete in voting booths rather than battlefields, deciding which group gets to exploit the other through political control. Colonialism gave this tribal instinct a shiny justification: the idea that conquering and ruling was not just profitable, but civilizing.

For the colonist, life was sweet spacious land, cheap labor, and wealth far exceeding that of the crowded old world. Colonies were romanticized as libertarian paradises: the colonist as master, the native as servant. This wasn’t just economics it was ideology. Locke’s argument that unimproved land was “empty” justified dispossession. The Germans believed it too when they sought “living space” in the East during the 1940s. Every empire from Rome to Britain carried the same logic: conquer, claim, civilize, profit.

Can Nationalism Be the Antidote to Colonialism?

Nationalism, at its root, is the direct counter to colonialism. Where colonialism imposed foreign identity and control, nationalism builds collective identity and sovereignty. Anti-colonial movements across Asia, Africa, and Latin America were fueled by this spirit resisting external domination through unity and self-determination.

But here’s the paradox: nationalism can be both a cure and a curse. It can unite nations against colonial exploitation, but it can also slide into the same tribal mentality that enabled colonialism in the first place. When nationalism becomes exclusionary, it risks creating internal hierarchies and new forms of oppression that mirror colonial patterns.

Still, when grounded in inclusive sovereignty, nationalism offers a way out of the colonial legacy. It means rebuilding state capacity, reviving authentic cultural institutions, and freeing economies from dependency on former colonizers. It means writing your own story, rather than living in the shadow of an empire.

So, can nationalism be the antidote? Yes but only if it avoids becoming another form of tribalism dressed in new colors. The real antidote is not just pride in one’s nation, but the ability of that nation to govern itself, protect its people, and compete fairly in the global hierarchy that colonialism built.

What is a concise view of Colonialism and Nationalism?

Colonialism is the occupation and running of other countries by a single power. Examples include the British Empire, which ruled America, South Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and many other colonies. Spain controlled much of South America and the Philippines, while Portugal had Macao and East Timor. The United States also exercised colonial power over the Philippines, Cuba, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, and Guam. Colonialism was not just about governance; it involved control over land, resources, and people. It disrupted local cultures, introduced foreign systems, and established hierarchies that often benefited the colonizers at the expense of the colonized.

Nationalism, on the other hand, is when people take pride in their country, often shaping political and social life. In some cases, nationalism has moved towards extremes, as seen in Nazi Germany under Hitler, Mussolini’s Italy, or Franco’s Spain. More recently, some forms of right-wing nationalism, such as under Donald Trump in America, have also stirred debate. Yet nationalism is not always radical in countries like Australia and New Zealand, it exists as a positive, unifying sentiment without turning extreme.

When seen together, colonialism and nationalism reveal a cycle of domination and response. Colonial powers imposed their rule and exploited resources, but in turn, they triggered resistance movements that grew into nationalist struggles for independence. Across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, nationalism became the force that challenged colonial authority and shaped the rise of modern nation-states. Still, nationalism itself has carried different outcomes: sometimes fostering unity and liberation, other times exclusion and division.

A synoptic view, therefore, highlights how colonialism and nationalism are deeply interconnected one creating the conditions for the other to emerge. Colonialism sought to control, while nationalism sought to liberate, and together they have left lasting marks on the political, cultural, and social structures of the world we live in today.