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 Periodical article |
 Leiden University catalogue |
 WorldCat |
| Title: | Different Strokes: Spanish Policy Toward Cuba and Equatorial Guinea during the Colonial Period |
| Author: | Aworawo, David |
| Year: | 2007 |
| Periodical: | Lagos Historical Review |
| Volume: | 7 |
| Pages: | 57-72 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic terms: | Equatorial Guinea Spain Cuba |
| Subjects: | colonialism colonial policy History and Exploration |
| Abstract: | Spanish policy toward Cuba and Equatorial Guinea up to the end of the 19th century differed markedly. While Cuba was regarded as a colony for European settlement, Equatorial Guinea was declared a 'colonia de explotación', which meant the attention of Spain was principally focused on the exploitation of the colony's resources. This article undertakes a comparative analysis of the experiences of Cuba and Equatorial Guinea under Spanish rule. It argues that although the focus of Spanish colonialism in Cuba, as elsewhere, was the exploitation of minerals and the development of plantation agriculture, the Spanish authorities established administrative structures and social infrastructure in the process. This was however not the case in Equatorial Guinea until the loss of Cuba in 1898 compelled Spain to turn attention to its African colony. The article therefore disagrees with the view that the primary motive of colonial enterprise was to bring 'civilization' to the colonized, and concludes that the economic benefit to Spain was the most important consideration in the colonial enterprise, as was the case with most other colonial powers in Africa and elsewhere. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract, edited] |