Chapter 20 and 21- Things Fall Apart

"But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart" (Achebe 176)
"Okonkwo was deeply grieved. And it was not just a personal grief. He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart, and he mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women" (Achebe 183).

According to the text(s), what effect did imperialism have on the people who lived through it? 

In Chapter 20, Okonkwo returns to Umuofia after seven years of exile in his motherland of Mbanta. He returns with the mindset that he will be held with high esteem and gain the highest title in the land. But what Okonkwo doesn't realize is that Umuofia has changed a lot within the past seven years. The white missionaries have gained many followers and even gained some men with high title. This betrayal has created a stir in Okonkwo's plan because he believes that his high title would be meaningless now. Imperialism impacts the clan tremendously as the clan begins to fall apart as more and more people begin to join the white missionaries and convert to Christianity. Christianity has sparked an interest in the people of the clan, and therefore they leave behind their old faith for this new faith that welcomes anyone (even those considered outsiders or evil by the clan). Imperialism creates a divide among the people of Umuofia and creates tension between the people of the new religion and the people of the old religion.