The colonial powers’ divide-and-rule tactics enabled small populations in Europe to rule large numbers outside of Europe, pillaging natural resources while investing little in the physical, human capital, and social capital necessary for an economically successful, democratic self-governing society. It has taken many of the former colonies decades to overcome this legacy.
殖民主义国家分割而治的策略使得欧洲的少数人口能够统治欧洲以外的大量人口，掠夺自然资源，而在建立经济成功、民主自治的社会所必需的物质、人力和社会资本方面却投入甚少。许多前殖民地花了数十年的时间才克服了这个后遗症。