Rosi

My first topic in the Speculative History forum!

Anyway, I was wondering how the world would have been today if the modern Europeans hadn't indulged in colonisation.

Do you think Asians would have in their stead? Long shot, I would say.

By no colonisation I do not mean that there would not have been any contact between, say Europe and America. Only that if Europeans settled there they did not do so by way of colonisation and/or displacing the locals. Similarly for the Antipodes, South America, etc. I understand that would limit their numbers in those places.

If Industrial Revolution did go ahead regardless of colonisation, Europe would have been as modern as it is today, and I believe we would still have globalisation so Europe and Asia would have been as connected as they are at the moment, and others too. Perhaps Europe would still be the dominant power... or would it have risen to dominance at all in the first place sans the resources from the colonised lands?

The inventions that took place in America -- the airplane, the internet, etc. could have still happened, if not in America then in Europe (or not!), so life today would have looked pretty much the same as it does today. Maybe the impoverished countries of Asia would have been better off than they are today but in any case it's almost certain they would be using plenty of technology developed in the West and Japan. Democracy and the English language may not have been widespread features though.

Any thoughts on this one?

The Imperial

The world would be much much different, especially America, where native Americans would be present. Europe would still be in Europe. Africa would be peaceful and very very rich (lotta natural resources). China would be unchanged I believe (though without the opium trade, things would have changed a bit). South East Asia would be as developed as Japan. Vietnam, Burma etc would have economies like that of Taiwan. India would still be divided, but if the Maratha Empire had succeeded, than India would have been under a imperial power, it would have been much much advanced.

Lawnmowerman

No way European colonisation of Africa was very small, in terms of settlers. The exception being South Africa.

Africa would be in even worse shape than it is now. As no one would've bothered investing in any infastructure, as it would be to unstable to make it worth the risk.

Naomasa298

I wonder if any of this had anything to do with the Mongols. Suppose the Ogedai Khan hadn't died when he did, and the Mongols had swept into Europe. Would Europe have been set back 200 years, and would the world have been on a more even technological footing?

Lawnmowerman

Intresting piont, with the distruction of Rome and Paris much of the knowledge would be lost. Although you could have scholars fleeing to England, and England becom=ng the centre for learning and knowledge in Europe. Leading to an earlier industrial revolution.

tjadams

All the countries that didn't have the greedy European fingerprints all around their throats, would have developed on their own into something larger. The world had large kingdoms before the arrival of Europeans and they would have chugged along just the same.
Eventually all the concerned parties would have come into contact with each other through trade or at least heard of others. Given enough time to develop along their own natural laws, non-colonized lands would have been fine.

The Imperial

I beg to differ. Africans lived as nomads and cared less for worldy desires. The vast lands were occupied by very less population. The people were wealthy and content. But European colonization brought diseases wiping out their livestock, rendering their livelihood to '0'. Also they got displaced and conflicts developed. Thats how Africa evolved into today.

Without colonization, it would much much better.

Lawnmowerman

What diseases????? Africans and Europeans suffered from the same diseases. Infact it was the Europeans who suffered mainly from the African diseases not the other way round. I have never heard of livestock being wiped out by disease either.

Naomasa298

The Mongols could have crossed the Channel - their seaborne invasion of Japan was only really thwarted by fortuitous storms (the "divine wind" or "kamikaze").

Naomasa298

Smallpox is probably the example that most people are familiar with - it was one of the factors that contributed towards Spanish success in South America. The native populations had no immunity against it.