IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA

1850

1914

Berlin Conference (1884)

Berlin Conference (1884)

Berlin Conference (1884)• Otto von Bismarck called together the leaders of the

European Powers to divide African lands

• Established “Principle of Effectivity”• Affirmed that slavery was illegal• Congo Free State granted to King Leopold II of Belgium• Established Free Trade Zones in Niger and the Congo• Divided up remaining territories

African/European Contact• David Livingstone• First white man to traverse

the continent (1856)• First white man to see

Victoria Falls• Proponent of European

Imperialism• At the end of his life, lost all

contact with European civilization

North Africa – French Involvement

Algeria- Invade in 1830s to counter pirates- Takes 10 years and 100,000 soldiers to control Algeria

Tunisia• French invade, citing internal violence as an excuse• Established French Protectorate in 1881

Morocco• Disputed territory between several European nations• Made into French Protectorate in 1905

North Africa – French Involvement

"The higher races have a right over the lower races, they have a duty to civilize the inferior races.” – Jules Ferry

• By 1905, over 1 million French in North Africa• Emphasis on controlling and preserving artifacts and sites

of local culture• “Civilizing mission”

- Emphasis on spreading French culture and language

- Africans who assimilated gained French citizenship

North Africa – British Involvement

North Africa – British Involvement

• Suez Canal finished in 1869

- 1.5 million people worked on the canal over 10 years

• British initially opposed it• 1875: Egyptians sold share of ownership to the British in

order to pay off debt• Convention of Constantinople (1888)

- Canal is a neutral zone maintained by the British

• 1889: French and British both claim Sudan

- Compromise: British recognize French claims on West Africa, British gain Sudan

North Africa – Italian Involvement

North Africa• The baby of Europe: officially born in 1861• Wanted Tunisia – the French took it.• 1911 conquered Libya by defeating the Ottomans

Ethiopia• 1886: Annexed Massawa, an Ethiopian port• 1889: Italians proclaimed that they were annexing Eritrea

and Ethiopia

Italy v. Ethiopia, Rd. 1• 1893: Ethiopia repudiates

Italian treaty• 1895: Italy declares war on

Ethiopia• 1896: Battle of Adowa

• - First modern battle in which independent African forces defeated Europeans

• - All European countries are forced to recognize Ethiopia’s independence

Menelik II, 1882

Menelik II, 1882

Ethiopia, Continued

Why did Ethiopia succeed in becoming independent?

• Strong ruler: Menelik II• Effective military with modern weapons• 1870s: began subjugating surrounding peoples to form

Ethiopian Empire• 1880s: invested heavily in modern infrastructure: roads,

electricity, railroads, hospitals, etc.• **Italy was comparatively weak**

West Africa• Coastal trade with Europe since the 1500s

- Gold

- People• Europeans and Africans on nearly level playing field• 1830s: Rise of the Sokoto Caliphate

- Most powerful African state

- Loose confederation of West African peoples

• By 1880s, Europeans push into West African interior• 1903: Sokoto Caliphate defeated by the British

West Africa

• Liberia

- Founded in 1822 by James Monroe

- “Back to Africa”

- Protected by the United States

- Tensions between native Africans and repatriated slaves

Congo Region• King Leopold II of Belgium

interested in reports from Henry Stanley

• 1884: European powers grant the Congo river basin to Leopold directly

• Rubber Plantations• Quotas

- “Currency of the Hands”

- Enforced by the Force Publique

Congo Region

• The Casement Report (1904)

- Public Outrage

- Belgian government looks really bad• 1908: The Belgian government annexes the colony

Casement Report• “Two cases (of mutilation) came to my actual notice while

I was in the lake district. One, a young man, both of whose hands had been beaten off with the butt ends of rifles against a tree; the other a young lad of 11 or 12 years of age, whose right hand was cut off at the wrist…”

• “Leopold was an Attila in modern dress; it would have been better for the world if he had never been born.”

-- Winston Churchill