What are the Measures taken by Colonial Powers to Alleviate the Impacts of the Great Depression

Measures taken by Colonial Powers to Alleviate the Impacts of the Great Depression

Several measures were taken by the colonial powers to revamp the impacts of the great depression on the metropolitan economies. This includes the following;

The expansion and consolidations of peasant’s cooperation. For this in 1930’s the colonial states allowed generation of cooperatives by encouraging the formation and training of their leaders. This aimed at eliminating the middlemen who discouraged the producer’s prices with high prices. This move motivated peasants to increase production. The colonial state also feared that preventing peasant cooperative would increase peasant agitation.

The initiation of growing more cash crops in the colonies. Colonialists introduced steps which were to be undertaken in order to transform the “Native” from scattered settlement and practicing of shifting cultivation of large areas under cash crops. Example, In Tanganyika the 1930’s and 1940’s land utilization schemes included the Uluguru land usage scheme, Mlalo rehabilitation scheme e.t.c.

The colonial states allowed peasants to grow the prohibited crops in settler colonies. In Kenya for example peasants were allowed to grow coffee.

African educational curriculum was reviewed to give more emphasis to hand crafts and agricultural education, e.g. Nyakato in Tanganyika was transformed from secondary school into agricultural school in 1930 a response to service the Metropolitan economies.

Intensification of labour recruitment particularly migrant labour was intensified to meet extra labour free demand in the newly opened up plantation and mining activities.

The institutionalization of imperial preferential system. This helped the Metropolitan powers to cling more and more on their colonies was encouraged.

Increased taxation. Taxes of various kinds were introduced after depression in order to expand sources of income for the colonial state. These taxes involved livestock, hut and poll tax etc.