PER 2015
historical and economical significance of this would not become fully apparent until post American independence in 1776. Following the thirteen colonies transformation into the United States of America the international community changed permanently. It provided a power outside of Europe with the USA outgrowing Britain as the economic giant by World War One and greatly influencing events throughout the 20 th Century with America’s contribution to World War Two and the Cold war pivotal to the development of the modern world and the general acceptance of democracy in Western society. Had Newfoundland not proved colonization could be successful many settlers would not have left Europe for the New world and as the first Anglo holding on the continent it should be seen as central to the emergence and eventual explosion of American influence on the world. Economically speaking Newfoundland’s position as the beginnings of the British Empire and USA leave it at the heart of the modern network of international trade. Imperial shipping of goods all around the world and the wealth created through this benefited many, although colonies were often exploited for their raw goods which were developed in Europe and sold back at a far higher price as industry goods. Empire also provided the means to transport raw materials to Britain which fueled the industrial revolution, the consequences of which can be seen all around our technologically driven world. Likewise the process of globalization began with overseas trade, with distance no longer enough to exclude countries from diplomacy as can be seen from the emergence of Japan as a superpower in the 19 th century. Although Newfoundland did not contribute to these processes directly it must be seen as the beginning of such transitions as it was the beginning of the empire which brought them about. Although Britain’s role in the world diminished greatly following the World Wars and decline of empire it had transformed from 1583 when Newfoundland was founded. The world had changed from relatively small blocks of nation’s plagued by infighting and the susceptibility of agriculture to weather into a complex network of international alliances and rivalries where the constant flow of labor, goods and services created the wealth required to drag much of the world out of a hand to mouth existence. It was from this mixing pot of cultures and ideologies that the modern system of governance emerged with the USA’s part in the decline of both Fascism and Communism providing further significance to Newfoundland and its part in beginning the process of Anglo settlement of America. However despite the two pronged legacy of the British Empire and from it the USA the founding of Newfoundland also began the process which would lead to the mass extermination of America’s indigenous population with many cultures suffering extinction, particularly after the American declaration of independence. King George III had deliberately forbid significant expansion westwards much to the annoyance of the increasingly ambitious colonists who made up the then thirteen colonies. However post-independence the now ‘states’ were not restricted and began the gradual process of extermination, moving westward into the heartlands of tribes such as the Apache. As the USA witnessed an influx of peoples seeking a new life away from the rigid social structure in Europe space became a commodity and the pace of westward movement increased culminating in the creation of ‘reservations’ which often restricted the indigenous peoples of America to a few square miles of sparse and undesirable land, whilst those who would not co-operate found themselves at the end of Western firepower, the technological superiority of which made resistance near impossible and usually resulting in a genocide or two. To conclude I believe the foundation of Newfoundland should be seen as significant for three reasons, each of which shaped the lives of millions of people with legacies which continue to mould
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