Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism

The hundreds of millions of dollars made by the diamond industry is worth so much money to South Africa that no export duty is charged on rough diamonds. Harry Oppenheimer’s Anglo American Corporation, through De Beers and the Diamond Corporation, is deeply involved in this industry. The corporation also controls the diamond industry in neighboring countries.

The company is also invested in the explosives industry, to economize the procurement of explosives used in its mines. From this initial investment, the corporation has “reached the stage of cartelization with other foremost chemicals and armaments organizations” (139). The corporation is now linked with the Du Pont Corporation, the foremost chemical and plastics material company in the world and a corporation which is deeply involved in weapons manufacture. Nkrumah describes how the history of Du Pont is closely linked to colonialism and war.

The De Beers Corporation is involved in many other industries, with a complicated network of mining and production. Close associates of De Beers also “have interest in these tributary companies” (143). American major industrial concerns can be found throughout this “tangled maze of international control of Africa’s basic riches” (144). In the Congo, part of this maze of corporations can be traced back to the brutal colonial control of King Leopold II.