Formal decolonization did not yield genuine independence because colonial debts and legacies persisted.

Evidence

Strictly speaking, historical colonialism is over. Most colonies gained their independence by the 1960s. But independence, acquired at a bloody cost, did not overcome dependency. A combination of internal conflict, debt, corruption, and poverty—all direct or indirect legacies of colonialism—meant that liberated colonies seldom achieved authentic independence in the form of generalized prosperity. Consider the case of the 1791 to 1804 revolution in Haiti, an uprising by black slaves that completely transformed the social and racial politics of the nation. Although the revolution managed to expel the French, it came at a cost of 162,000 lives and the imposition of an external debt of 150 million francs, or around $20 billion by today’s standards, a debt that was eventually paid back at huge cost, the effects of which have burdened the country ever since. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 256

Categorization

• XREF: Haiti’s indemnity — 150 million francs to France for its own liberation — aligns with the mechanisms of debt-led dependency that recur in dependency-theory readings of data colonialism. — connects to: Colonialism’s legacies persist long after colonial rule ends. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 257
• SHARE: The $20 billion Haiti indemnity figure is a punchy detail worth sending to anyone interested in reparations or debt colonialism.

Broader Connections

• Colonialism’s legacies persist long after colonial rule ends. #expands (0.85) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 257