Question

The building of roads, bridges and railroads was seen to both a positive and negative impact because... * 1 point European nations used those to extract natural resources and then destroyed them when they left, creating jobs for African people. African men were hired to build them at higher than normal wages. Europeans taught the African people how to build this type of infrastructure. Europeans used them to extract resources, leaving a vast network or routes that were useful to the continent well into the 20th century.

Answer 1

The building of roads, bridges, and railroads in Africa during the colonial period had both positive and negative impacts primarily because:

• Extraction of Resources: European nations constructed these infrastructures primarily to extract natural resources from the continent efficiently. While this did create a network of routes that could benefit trade and transportation, the primary intention was often exploitative, focused on serving European interests rather than the needs of local communities.

• Temporary Job Creation: While some African men were employed to work on these projects, often they were paid wages that did not reflect the profits being extracted and may not have led to long-term economic benefits for the local population.

• Infrastructure Development: Europeans introduced new transportation methods and techniques, which, after colonization, did leave a legacy of infrastructure that could be beneficial for development in post-colonial Africa. However, this development was largely not designed to facilitate local economies, but rather to serve colonial interests.

In summary, the impact of these infrastructures was mixed; they did provide some benefits, like improved transportation, but these were overshadowed by the exploitative context in which they were built and the lack of lasting investment in local communities.