8.1.4

Development: Historical Factors

Test yourself

Which Historical Factors Cause Uneven Development?

The following are possible historical factors that can lead to uneven development:

Illustrative background for ColonisationIllustrative background for Colonisation ?? "content

Colonisation

  • Some nations were colonised in the past.
  • Spain and Portugal ruled lots of Latin America, and England, France & the Netherlands ruled a lot of Asia and Africa.
  • Nigeria became independent from the United Kingdom in 1960.
  • Often the benefits of cheap labour and raw materials flowed to colonial rulers, rather than the colonised nations themselves.
  • Lots of less developed nations used to be colonies, like Malawi and Lesotho.
Illustrative background for Conflict and warsIllustrative background for Conflict and wars ?? "content

Conflict and wars

  • Wars damage countries' infrastructure badly.
  • After World War 2, Marshall Aid was American funding which helped rebuild a lot of Europe. However, without this funding, development would have been slower.
  • Afghanistan has been involved in civil wars since 1978.
Illustrative background for Neo-colonialismIllustrative background for Neo-colonialism ?? "content

Neo-colonialism

  • More powerful nations influence post-colonial countries by their control of debt markets and their transnational corporations. Lots of poor nations struggle to repay their debts to richer, more developed nations.
  • Oil companies like Shell and Exxon are influential in the Middle East and Africa.

Jump to other topics

1Paper 1 - Changing River Environnments

2Paper 1 - Changing Coastal Environments

3Paper 1 - Changing Ecosystems

4Paper 1 - Tectonic Hazards

5Paper 1 - Climate Change

6Paper 2 - Changing Populations

7Paper 2 - Changing Towns & Cities

8Paper 2 - Development

9Paper 2 - Changing Economies

10Paper 2 - Resource Provision

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