The impacts of colonialism weren’t “supposedly negative,” they were, in fact, extremely so. Imperialists prevented progress throughout Africa as they pillaged the continent’s resources, devastated entire communities, threatened ecosystems, and actively tried to destroy African cultures. Fortunately, Africans have proven themselves resilient and capable of solving their own problems.

In Venezuela, numerous methods were implemented as part of the totalitarian regime’s efforts to gain and retain its power. The gradual process of de-democratization occurred throughout the past two decades beginning with the charismatic populist Hugo Chavez’s presidency and was further facilitated by corruption and the concentration of political and economic power in the military. He amassed a great deal of support due to his assertion that he could improve the country’s social conditions and address issues of extreme inequality and poverty.

The realities of neocolonialism can't be ignored, however; countries that previously colonized parts of Africa, Asia, and South America were able to obtain riches and build a stronger economy on the fruits and labor of the countries they colonized. They stalled and hindered progress in these nations as they exploited them. Its aftereffects continue to present themselves now by way of capitalism, as our world becomes increasingly divided between the wealthy and the poor as opposed to free versus colonized.