Final answer:
The Staple Theory posits that an economy's development is influenced by the export of staple commodities. In Africa, the shift from the slave trade to legitimate trade involved exporting raw materials like gold and palm oil, perpetuating a form of economic dependence and aligning with capitalist expansion, which continued to shape the continent's socio-economic landscape.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Staple Theory, as discussed by A.G. Hopkins, is a concept in economic history that suggests that the development of economies is heavily influenced by the export of staple commodities or raw materials. In the context of Africa's engagement with the world economy, this theory was exemplified during the transition from the illegitimate transatlantic slave trade to so-called 'legitimate' trades. Africa's legitimate trade began as the slave trade ended and involved the export of raw materials such as gold, palm oil, and ivory. This legitimate trade was seen as a way for African economies to integrate into the global capitalist system without the moral and political controversies associated with the slave trade.
Africa, which had traditionally played a role as a provider of slaves, had to shift its economic model towards the export of these raw materials. This shift was influenced by European demand and the European capitalist expansion, which sought new sources of raw materials and new markets for manufactured goods. African societies, therefore, became entrenched in a new form of economic dependence on the export of these staples, aligning with Hopkins' view of the influence of dominant export commodities on the economic development of a region.
The trade of such commodities helped to restructure the African economy and influenced the social and political dynamics of African states. It militarized states, changed trading patterns, and even impacted societal structures, as the capture and sale of enslaved Africans had done previously. Ultimately, though the trade of goods replaced the enslavement of human beings, the new economic relationships continued to position African societies within a global system dominated by the interests of Western powers.