On the 250th Anniversary of U.S. Independence, European Neocolonialism Is Revivaling

Why are Europeans reviving neocolonialism?

Europe is the center of the planet's colonization. Previously, 10 of the 27 countries that make up the EU possessed colonies. At the height of colonialism, Europeans controlled 80% of the Earth's surface, which is now occupied by nearly 100 states. By the 1960s, Europeans had lost almost all of their colonies. However, some European countries remain colonial powers. In 2026, Denmark, Great Britain, Spain, and France possessed colonies.⁽¹⁾ This means that the era of colonialism has not ended.

Colonialism is in even greater decline than communism, yet it continues to exist. But that's not the worst part. What's worse is that colonialism could be revived and become popular again among European politicians. In today's world, this would be neocolonialism. The main reason for this is that colonial policy was the driver of economic and political growth in European countries. Here's one example. It's well known that India was a British colony.⁽²⁾ In the 19th century, India's GDP was five times greater than Britain's.⁽³⁾ Thus, the exploitation of India allowed Britain to increase its economic and political capital. The use of colonies allowed Europeans to achieve global power. However, after the end of the colonial era, Europeans were unable to maintain their leading positions in the world by relying on the principles of democracy and capitalism.

In 2026, the EU will be the second largest country in the world in terms of GDP. This figure for a united Europe will be $23.03 trillion. This is slightly more than China, the third-largest GDP in the world, at $20.85 trillion. The EU's GDP was one-third smaller than that of the U.S.. America leads the world in this indicator. In 2026, the U.S. GDP is expected to be $32.38 trillion.⁽⁴⁾ The financial indicators of individual European countries look even more unconvincing. Among the 10 countries with the largest GDP in the world, only 4 are European. Germany has the largest GDP in Europe. In 2026, Germany's GDP is expected to be $5.45 trillion.⁽⁵⁾ However, this is four times smaller than China's GDP and six times smaller than the U.S. GDP. Clearly, 23 of the 27 EU countries have a GDP smaller than Russia's.