Colonialism

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Colonialism is a word that describes a concept of settlement used throughout the world. The first who practiced it were probably the Phoenicians, and later the Ancient Greeks. Ancient Greece was not a country. It was made of many cities. Each city was a country of its own, with a government in place. Some city-states were monarchies, others elected (part of) the people who governed by (part of) the people who were citizens of that city, and who lived there. This is the very concept of democracy.

Those cities also fought wars against each other and traded goods. Now, to get more influence, or to secure a trade route, the city would send of settlers to a new place. These would then make a new city, that was similar to the old. The new city was in a different place, and it was called a colony of the old city. The cities had to pay some form of taxes to the old city, in exchange for protection, for example.

Colonialism also has its dark side, however. If the settlers happened to find a local tribe they would wage war against it. Usually, they were better equipped than the tribe, so the tribe usually lost. It was either made into slaves, or it had to pay recurring fees for 'protection'.

The new colony would also exploit the land it found, eg. by growing crops or by raising cattle.

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