Scrumpy. Of course colonisation is not altruistic. Those 'settlers' were there to exploit resources that would have remained untapped were it not for their efforts, their lives were not without danger and many died trying. Whilst it may not have been an intentional spinoff the power structure of most of these places was such that the vast majority of the natives were victims of the most brutal regimes and, for the most part, colonisation improved their lot immensely. Mike pointed out just a few of the savage practices that were stopped, but the colonists taught them law, how to organise themselves, how to farm and many other skills required to make life better for the majority. A few colonisers got rich, but the vast majority either died or remained and benefitted the society. Now that the coloniser/settlers/controllers have gone, most of these countries are reverting back to their original savagery and millions are dying, particularly of famine and butchery just as they were before the colonists arrived. The result is that many want to flee to the safety they enjoyed before their countries won their independence.
Mike.X