Post-World War II ‘Metropolis-Periphery’ Theories of Imperialism

Abstract

After World War II and the national liberation movements which followed, most former colonies won their national independence, leading to the dissolution of empires and the end of colonialism. Most post-war Marxist approaches to imperialism take it for granted, however, that ex-colonies and developing countries are still subordinated to imperialist countries through relations of dependency. For instance, as Popov stated: ‘a special type of development of the countries dependent on imperialism is characteristic of the international capitalist division of labour within the framework of the world capitalist system. The dependence created by colonialism is still manifested in all the key spheres of the developing countries’ economic life’ (Popov 1984: 119).¹