IBERIAN COLONIALISM IN THE AMERICAS AND ITS CIVILIZATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

This article explores the civilizational consequences of the early period of European colonialism in the Americas.The introduction of colonial discourse into the study of Ukrainian history necessitates comparisons with “classic” examples of European colonialism, particularly the vast and impactful colonization of North, Central, and South America that began in the 15th and 16th centuries. The direct relationship between the usually pragmatic colonial policies in this region and their civilizational implications has not been adequately explored in existing scholarly research. The aim of this article is to examine the theoretical and methodological foundations for studying the interactions between civilizations, as well as the content and consequences of colonial policies implemented by Iberian states in the zone of Indian civilizations in the Americas during the 16th to 18th centuries. The research is grounded in the author’s civilizational analysis methodology, which draws on the system and communication theory of society. One of the key points highlighted is the uniqueness of this type of colonization: the peoples of one formed civilization colonized territories inhabited by the peoples of others. However, it was found that different stages of civilizational development unfolded in this context.While the Iberian states were part of medieval Christian civilization, the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas belonged to pre-axial civilizations that had not developed religious or philosophical systems akin to those of the axial era. Additionally, the study finds that both Spain and Portugal, following their long periods of Reconquista, shared certain structural similarities with the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas. Both operated within patrimonial state systems and employed corporate (or communal) organizational models, bringing them closer in character to Eastern civilizations. The article outlines the various phases of colonization: the conquests and plundering of valuables, the extraction and exploitation of gold and silver, and the systemic exploitation of Americas’ resources. It is noted that, as a result of colonization, the Iberian patrimonial state supplanted the destroyed Indian one, merging with the indigenous village communities. Catholicism, in turn, took on an outwardly Indian stylistic form. A new, hybrid Latin American civilization emerged. In areas outside of the core territories of these civilizations, where the indigenous populations were fewer, a resettlement-based form of colonization became dominant.