Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain in 1492 on three small ships: the Santa María, the Pinta, and the Niña. The fleet landed in the Bahamas and claimed it for Spain, as depicted in this painting.
- Culture
- Explainer
What is colonialism?
The history of colonialism is one of brutal subjugation of indigenous peoples.
Colonialism is defined as “control by one power over a dependent area or people.” It occurs when one nation subjugates another, conquering its population and exploiting it, often while forcing its own language and cultural values upon its people. By 1914, a large majority of the world's nations had been colonized by Europeans at some point.
The concept of colonialism is closely linked to that of imperialism, which is the policy or ethos of using power and influence to control another nation or people that underlies colonialism.
In antiquity, colonialism was practiced by empires such as Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, and Phoenicia. These civilizations all extended their borders into surrounding and non-contiguous areas from about 1550 B.C. onward,
