The majority of Africa, India, and Indonesia were post-World War II colonies of superpowers like Britain, France, Japan, and the United States. The colonizers exploited these countries for cheap labor and resources. When the colonies finally gained independence, the colonizers still exerted influence over the countries’ economies. Several economists argue that, as a result of this outside influence, these countries cannot easily move through Walt Rostow’s process for modernization. Instead, they stay somewhat subjugated to their former colonizers, who continue to dictate world trade and the global economy.
