Empire Building in Africa CHAPTER 12 LESSON 2

Bellringer

Objective �Students will be able to identify why Europeans competed for control over African territories as well as the results. �Students will know: Virtually all of Africa was under European rule by the year 1900.

Vocabulary �Annex: to incorporate into and existing political unit, such as a city or country. �Indigenous: native to a region.

West Africa and North Africa �**Why were European countries interested in West Africa and North Africa? �Answer: Europeans wanted Africa’s raw materials, such as peanuts, timber, hides, and palm oil. �Great Britain, France, and Germany would control West Africa. �Spain, France, Italy, and Germany would control North Africa

Suez Canal �Great Britain took an active interest in Egypt (North Africa) after the Suez Canal opened. It considered the canal the “lifeline to India. ” �Egypt would become a British protectorate in 1914.

Suez Canal

Central and East Africa �**Belgium began the “scramble for Africa” in the 1880 s after it grabbed an enormous area in the heart of Africa, the Congo. ** �Belgium’s actions prompted other European powers to rush to gain African territory. �Germany and Britain were chief rivals in East Africa. �**Germans were calling for an empire, and Otto von Bismarck wanted to satisfy them to ensure popular support for his government.

Berlin Conference �The Great European Powers resolved conflicts over claims in East Africa by meeting at the Berlin Conference to settle their differences. �**They did not invite anyone from Africa to participate in the division of African lands. **

Effects of Imperialism Group Work A. By 1914, ______ and ______ were the only two independent African nations. B. _____ rule by the British maintained tribal customs. ____ rule by the French stressed assimilation and offered limited legislative opportunities. C. African nationalists and intellectuals were often educated in ______ schools or in ______ nations. D. How did imperialism affect the growth and development of African nations?

Answer � Western imperialism caused European nations to scramble for control of Africa and shifted control of African cultural and economic activities to the Europeans; African nations were forcibly conquered; they were required to produce raw materials for the imperial powers; their legislative systems were placed under foreign control; Western nations praised democracy and freedom, but they shaped the politics and limited the freedom of the nations they controlled.

Section Summary Group Worksheet