Development: Historical Factors
Geography: Cambridge International GCSE (2027 Exams), topic 8.1.4
Which Historical Factors Cause Uneven Development?
The following are possible historical factors that can lead to uneven development:
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.
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.
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.
Test yourself on Development: Historical Factors
What are the main historical reasons for uneven development?
Which of the following is a historical factor that can cause uneven development?