Why did old school style imperialism stop? Why did Europeans say to themselves "well instead of slaughtering them all with our superior tech and taking their resources outright well let them govern themselves and actually pay for the stuff". Like what was going through their heads.
1) Many colonies initially started as coaling stations and trading posts. Steamships needed to make frequent stops to get more coal. Might as well put the land to use around them, right? I mean it's costly b- oh no the military we stationed there just conquered all of the natives, now we have to do SOMETHING with it!
2) By the time imperialism started to come apart the colonies were bleeding money. Colonialism benefited the private sector (either directly or indirectly benefiting everyone from the poor to the super wealthy), not the public sector. Eventually, especially after WWI and WWII, the drain on the public sector was just too much. Teach some of the locals how to govern themselves then book it. If they succeed, hey, the White Man's burden paid off :^) if not oh well they can't rule themselves without superior European governance, no skin off our bones :^)
3) The US and the USSR stomped out European colonialism to make way for their own non-colonial empires (inb4 hurr durr the USSR was a Marxist state so it can never do anything I perceive as bad durr hurr)
Because Europeans aren't psychopaths and actually believe in Jesus
Seriously, everyone in Europe freaked out when they learned of Leopards private house of horrors
>>897759
>Why did old school style imperialism stop?
Stalinist democratic centralism, the AK-47, and the war debt of Japan, France, UK, Holland, Netherlands and the economic failure of Portugal and Spain.
