英属非洲殖民地的棉花种植推广活动及其影响

Cotton Planting Promotion Activities in the British African Colonies and the Corresponding Influence

20世纪上半叶,英国意图在新获得的非洲殖民地推广棉花种植,从而满足英国国内棉纺织业的原棉需求,减轻对于美国原棉供应的严重依赖。在英国棉花种植协会推动下,英属非洲殖民地纷纷采取棉花种植推广措施,主要包括劳动力控制、提高原棉质量以及市场销售控制等。英属非洲殖民地的棉花种植推广取得一定成效,尤其是在乌干达、苏丹和尼亚萨兰等地,但未能达到殖民者的预期,一些殖民地的原棉产出也被当地棉纺织业吸收。棉花种植推广活动导致非洲很多地区陷入依附性发展之中,加剧了非洲社会的分化,并引发非洲农民的反抗与抵制。20世纪上半叶英属非洲殖民地棉花种植推广的历史,折射出非洲被纳入全球资本主义体系的复杂进程及其深远影响。

In the first half of the 20^(th) century,Britain intended to promote cotton cultivation in its newly acquired African colonies,so as to meet the cotton demand of metropolitan cotton textile industry and reduce its heavy dependence on the American cotton supplies.Under the promotion of the British Cotton Growing Association,the British African colonies successively adopted cotton planting promotion measures,including the improvement of the quality of raw cotton,the labour control of the African growers,and the marketing control.The promotion of cotton cultivation in the British African colonies made certain achievements,especially in Uganda,Sudan and Nyasaland.However,it failed to meet the expectations of the colonists.Cotton production in some colonies were also absorbed by local cotton textile industry.Cotton colonialism caused many regions of Africa to fall into dependent development,intensified the division of the African society,and triggered revolt and resistance of the African farmers.The history of the cotton colonialism in the British African colonies in the first half of the 20^(th) century reflected the complexity and far-reaching influence of the historical process of Africa being integrated into the global capitalist system.