In the summer of 2015, Indian scholar and diplomat Shashi Tharoor reignited a major debate when he condemned British colonialism, blaming it for the problems during the last fifty years in India. Additional atrocities associated with colonial rule include: the use of chemical weapons in the Middle East, British soldiers firing on unarmed protesters in Ireland and India, and conditions of French rubber plantations–all of which have recently been highlighted and used to demonstrate the everyday cruelties of colonial rule. Debates regarding the subject include if colonial rule can be blamed for the economic underdevelopment and political problems (in addition to its overall impact) of the modern world remerge with surprising regularity. In dividing up the world into new political units that ignore local realities or common sense, the imperializers essentially created the modern world map with most of the territorial borders remaining through the present day. Additionally, the creation of lasting stereotypes about the non western world (tribal, primitive, savage, in need of outside intervention) can also be traced back to imperial rule over African and Asian territories. This chapter works to provide an overview of colonial rule, its importance in shaping modern world history, and its lasting effects in Africa, Asia and Europe.