Imperialism in South Africa Timeline of South Africa

Imperialism in South Africa

Timeline of South Africa

Before Imperialism tribes controlled the land. South Africa was responsible for its own trade. They had their own languages. life was peaceful and calm.

Tribes and Culture South Africa was home to at least ten different tribes and is home to various Bantu speaking groups. These tribes include… Zulu: originally from the congo region, they believe everything happens for a reason as a result of spirits, women cultivate the land men take care of the cows. Xhosa: they have the second most popular language, they use the click sound, men take pride in how many cows they have and they use them to pay to marry a woman. Sotho: is divided into three groups, a man's status is measured by how he relates to the chief, women took care of agriculture while men took care of livestock, identified by the blankets they wrap themselves in.

South Africa

Economy Before Imperialism Before imperialism it was believed that South Africa had no real value or natural resources. It had no known gold that sought by Europeans. It did not attract slave traders because the population was so scattered. many valuable crops such as rubber and cocoa were not found in south africa. Local economy was rich in some areas because of farming and herding of cattle. The only thing that was traded was ivory and that was very limited.

The Economy After Imperialism Two major discoveries changed the South African economy. First, the discovery of diamonds in 1869 and the discovery of gold in 1856. There was high demand for land the Europeans fought to control it. South Africa became part of the international economy because of its exports of diamonds and golds and the demand of agricultural imports. The economy remained strong until the prices of gold began to drop in the 1980 s. In 1989 the economy was in a recession and stayed that way through 1993 and there has been slow economic growth since then.

Who Colonized South Africa After south africa was discovered by the portuguese in 1488 two other countries fought to colonize South Africa Dutch: The Dutch East India Company established a settlement in cape town in 1652. it was originally made to be a rest stop for trading vessels. Slavery was a feature from the beginning, English: The British came to take over the trade spot and also took control of the dutch. they also were preventing it from being taken over by the French. the english also realized how many resources south africa had to offer.

Pros of Colonization Cape Town became a trading station between Western Europe and other countries like india. Certain crops could be grown that weren't available in Europe. There were few diseases for western europeans to catch. Gold and diamonds could be mined or could be taken from the land. Colonies could establish independence.

Cons of Colonization there was slaving of the native people and which caused many moral issues. there were language barriers between the natives and the Europeans that came. military conflicts. and a war happened between the english and the boers(dutch).

How South Africa Was Controlled South Africa was originally controlled by the Dutch. Jan Van Riebeeck was the first commander of the cape town colony. There were small groups of Dutch, French, and German settlers. The British gained control of South Africa 1902. The Union of South Africa was established on may 31 st 1910, and was part of the British Empire. Whites controlled the government and were allowed to vote and participate in elections. In 1958 an Apartheid system, where all races were to live separately and whites still controlled the government and other races had no say, was how the country was controlled. Apartheid ended in the early 1990 s and South Africa became a democratic nation and a new constitution was created in 1996

How Imperialism Effects South Africa Today There were several long term affects of imperialism that still affect South Africa today. there was still widespread discrimination between races. There continues to be economic discrimination and the rich continue to exploit the poor. There continues to be positive advances in agriculture and the mining industry. education has continued to benefit the people of South Africa.

South Africa Today

Question to Think About? Why was cape town such an important trading post? how do u think the natives of south africa felt when the europeans came? who was responsible for selling slaves to europeans? was the apartheid similar to segregation in the united states? why do u think there still tension between the races that continues today?

Citations http: //motherearthtravel. com/history/south-africa/history-7. htm https: //sites. google. com/site/westmorlandliandmcgee/about-our-site/economicexploitation http: //www. sahistory. org. za/topic/pre-mandela-period-colonial-history-south-africa 1652 -1917 http: //www 2. newcanaan. k 12. ct. us/education/components/scrapbook/default. php? s ectiondetailid=5501