Imperialism in Africa The Scramble for Africa During

Imperialism in Africa

The “Scramble for Africa” During the 19 th century, France, Britain and other European colonial powers fought for the acquisition of African territory. This feverish wave of interest in the African continent and its resources came to be known as the “Scramble for Africa” 1880 -1914

Source for Raw Materials Industrial Revolution Markets for Finished Goods European Nationalism Missionary Activity European Motives For Imperialism Military & Naval Bases Social Darwinism Places to Send Excess Population European Racism “White Man’s Burden” Humanitarian Reasons Social & Economic Opportunities

Africa in the 1880 s

Africa in 1914

Exploration of Africa l l l Until 1880, Europeans maintained a limited presence in Africa (controlled 10% of continent) Adventurers began to excite merchants about business possibilities in Africa Quinine protects from Malaria Machine gun = strong military advantage Rails, Steamships, Telegraphs make logistcs possible

European Explorers in Africa

Dr. Livingstone & the Dark Continent l l l David Livingstone went to Africa as a missionary but was a combination of missionary, doctor, explorer, scientist and anti-slavery activist. Reached and named Victoria Falls in 1855. Remained in Africa, learning languages & customs, teaching & treating Africans medically: well-received by the Africans

Henry Stanley l l British/American Journalist who went to Africa in search of Livingstone when it appeared that he had been lost. – Livingstone had traveled inland to find the source of the Nile His discovery of Livingstone & newspaper stories inspired widespread economic, political and cultural interest in Africa.

Expeditions of Henry Stanley

In 1871 journalist Henry Stanley found him at Lake Tanganyika, greeting him with the famous words “Dr. Livingstone, I presume? ”

Search for the Source of the Nile John Speke Sir Richard Burton

The Congo l l In the 1870 s King Leopold II of Belgium employed Henry Stanley to help develop commercial ventures and establish a colony called Congo Free State in the basin of the Congo River Leopold said the Congo Free State would be a free-trade zone open to all European merchants in order to forestall competition from his more powerful European neighbors

l In reality, Leopold ran the Congo Free State as a personal colony and filled it with lucrative rubber plantations run under brutal conditions – Humanitarians protested Leopold’s colonial regime l In 1908 the Belgium government took control of the colony and it became known as Belgian Congo

It is blood-curdling to see them (the soldiers) returning with the hands of the slain, and to find the hands of young children amongst the bigger ones evidencing their bravery. . . The rubber from this district has cost hundreds of lives, and the scenes I have witnessed, while unable to help the oppressed, have been almost enough to make me wish I were dead. . . This rubber traffic is steeped in blood, and if the natives were to rise and sweep every white person on the Upper Congo into eternity, there would still be left a fearful balance to their credit. -- Belgian Official

The Berlin Conference 1884 -1885 The Partition of Africa l Tensions among the European powers seeking African colonies led to the Berlin Conference l Otto von Bismarck presided l Delegates from 14 European states and the US (no Africans were present) devised the rules for the colonization of Africa

Berlin Conference ‘Rules’ The European power with holdings on the coastline had prior rights in the ‘back country’ l Occupation had to be real, i. e. , settlers, soldiers, administrators l A European power was required to give ‘proper notice’ of its intention to move into an area l

l l The Berlin Conference gave European diplomats the justification they needed to draw lines on maps and carve Africa into colonies By 1900, all of Africa was divided into European colonies except for Ethiopia, where native forces had fought off Italian efforts at colonization, and Liberia, a small republic populated by freed slaves that was effectively a dependency of the US

l l The invention of rigid tribal categories and the establishment of artificial tribal boundaries became one of the greatest obstacles to nation building and regional stability in much of Africa during the second half of the 20 th Century (e. g. Rwandan genocide) The arbitrary boundaries of the Berlin Conference did not take into consideration the natural divisions of the African people (religion, culture, language, ethnicity, etc)