Final answer:
Colonization is best described as the control by one power over a dependent area or people, involving economic exploitation and extraction of resources. This historical process was marked by various practices, including forced labor and cultural denigration, often justified by claims of a 'civilizing mission.'
Step-by-step explanation:
Colonization can best be described as A. Control by one power over a dependent area or people. This process involves the establishment of a colony by a ruling power that takes control over an area and its inhabitants for its own benefit. Often, colonialism is marked by the extraction of raw materials and economic exploitation, where the ruling colony dictates trade and utilizes local resources and labor for its gain.
Examples of colonialism include the European colonization of the Americas where European nations such as Spain, Portugal, and later Britain, France, and the Netherlands created extensive colonial empires for economic and strategic advantages, often justified by a purported 'civilizing mission.'
The colonial relationship was characterized by a variety of practices aimed at establishing and maintaining control, including forced labor, taxation, the spread of Christianity, the denigration of indigenous cultures, and the introduction of new diseases. While some colonial rulers also brought infrastructural improvements like hospitals and schools, these benefits were typically overshadowed by the overall hardships and injustices experienced by the colonized peoples.