Were there any positives to European Colonialism?

Colonialism was superior to post-colonial regimes

Question: Were there any positives to European Colonialism?
Position1 of 2›: Yes, there are positives to European colonialism
Argument1 of 2›: Colonialism was superior to post-colonial regimes

Compared to post-colonial states, empires were better governed.

The argument

Bruce Gilley argues that, while colonialism had a bad reputation, it was both more beneficial and more legitimate than most contemporary scholars claim. His argument is couched in an analysis of post-colonial states, positing that, compared to most regimes that followed it, Western imperialism developed local economies to a greater extent and received significant buy-in from indigenous people. To illustrate the point that colonies were beneficial, Gilley cites Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony. He notes that after the end of Portuguese rule in 1974, following a bloody war which displaced a quarter of the colony’s population, a despotic one-party state emerged that more violently repressed its people. Agricultural production also fell and progression in life expectancy slowed. Looking at these specific metrics, Gilley argues, shows that Portuguese imperialism was a better form of government. To establish legitimacy Gilley cites the millions of colonised people who engaged in different capacities with the imperial state; those who sent their children to colonial schools, worked in positions within the colonial state, or moved to work in imperial centres. He also notes that given the small number of Europeans actively engaged in colonial work it is notable that Europeans were not thrown out of the country before the rise of twentieth century anti-colonialism. The colonial state was legitimate, given the participation of subject peoples in it.

Premises

[P1]Bruce Gilley argues that, compared with the regimes that followed it, colonialism developed local economies more and won genuine participation from colonised people. [P2] In Guinea-Bissau, for instance, the end of Portuguese rule brought a more repressive one-party state, falling agricultural output and slower gains in life expectancy. [P3] The widespread engagement of subject peoples — attending colonial schools and working in the colonial state — points to its relative legitimacy. [C] Therefore, because colonialism was superior to many post-colonial regimes, there were positives to European colonialism.

Counter-arguments

Post-colonial states and conflicts were often the direct results of imperial management. Regardless of what happened when Colonial rule ended, misgovernment does not justify the exploitation vital for colonialism.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] This is often the case because of the Colonial government preceding them.