Why Colonization Is Not For Everyone

The concept of colonization was at its core an attempt to gain greater access to trading points in Asia, it consequently evolved as means for rapid economic exploitation and the securing of holdings in the new world, it came as a need and not a fancy way to establish settlements.

EUROPE

1. Colonisation started because Europeans wanted access to India, China, Indonesia, etc which didn't require them to go through the Ottomans. The Ottomans already had great access to the spices and other resources to the east of them and we're making a fortune because of it.

2. Nations such as England, France or Spain had strong support for colonization from their populace. Escape from religious persecution, increased demand for resources or simply hopes for a better life overseas were among the main reasons.

3. Europe itself was full, as clear borders were being defined, European powers sought opportunities for new lands in the new world.

To summarize, political, social, economic and religious factors were needed for countries to actually come to colonization, factors which many powerful empires didn't have at the time .eg. the Ottomans, Ming China, Joseon Korea, Russia, India and the Mughals, Iran and many more.

ASIA

1. Asia itself was the source for most of the resources sought by European powers, as such, there was no demand to seek resources in the new world.

2. With Ming China, an apogee of economic growth was reached, however, with a highly centralized court, any decision that could have led to colonization was stopped, mostly due to a lack of interests and demands, but mainly due to the increasingly retrograde mindset of the aristocracy.

3. There was already a network of both inland and sea trade routes which satisfied the economic demands of most Asian nations, conflict was instead centred overall in power and the acquisition of strategic points.

4. Both Ming China and the Mughals were the largest providers in trade, again, another reason which diminished their demands for colonies.

Note: China itself had all it needed for colonization, with the right circumstances colonization from their side could've been easily achieved, however, this depends highly on the player.

DIFFICULTIES IN COLONIZATION

As many may know, colonization wasn't an easy process, not only did countries have to pass the factors mentioned above, but they must face the hardships that came with the first attempts. Countries at the time didn't have the knowledge necessary for a successful settlement, it pretty much came to trial and error, with various attempts at establishing colonies throughout the Americas. Here's a list of hardships that were often encountered:

- Scarce resources upon arrival, settlers had to face the struggles of finding basic resources such as water or food, in a continent where barely anything was explored, this proved quite challenging at first.
- Lack of knowledge about the terrain, many settlements failed because of their location, for example, jungles proved too dense and humid for early colonies, swamps weren't ideal either and in the north settlements had to face harsh winters, which made famines the norm.
- Plagues, the natives weren't the only ones affected by plagues, early colonies often experienced the rise of diseases, which led to depopulation and which in turn worsened such plagues.
- Lack of authority, proper governance lacked in early settlements, this means that law and order weren't present, stressing the fact that colonies lacked any security.
- Outnumbered by natives, the first colonies were small, meaning that natives severely outnumbered the settlers, easing possible conflicts between both sides.

EXCEPTIONS

Some European countries got to hold on colonization, while their attempts might have been successful at first, many factors led to their defeat in the race for colonization.

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Poland has never had any formal colonial territories, but over its history, the acquisition of such territories has at times been contemplated, though never attempted. The closest Poland came to acquiring such territories was indirectly through the actions of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, a fief of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. During the Couronian colonization, several attempts were made to establish settlements in both West Africa and the Caribbean. The first colony founded by Jacob was the New Courland (Neu-Kurland) on the Caribbean island of Tobago. However, three initial attempts to establish a settlement (in 1637, 1639 and 1642) failed. The fourth was founded in 1654, but eventually in 1659 was taken over by a competing Dutch colony, also founded on the island in 1654. Courland regained the island after the Treaty of Oliva in 1660 but abandoned it in 1666. It briefly attempted to reestablish colonies there again in 1668 and in 1680 (that lasted to 1683). The final attempt in 1686 lasted till 1690.

Hopefully, this resume will help you understand why your nation may or may not be capable of colonization.