From the late 15th to the early 20th centuries, European powers considered their colonies to be a sacrifice zone for the sake of their own development. No loss of human life, no amount of suffering, no degree of degradation was too much so long as the economic interests of colonial companies and states were served. The inequity was justified by dehumanising those with black and brown skin – by repeatedly asserting that they were not quite as human as white people, and that therefore their suffering did not matter.
