Imperialism in Africa

Why was Africa prime for conquest?

Internal Forces: Variety of cultures and languages

discouraged unity among the Africans

Ethnic strife (tribal wars) over land, water, and trade rights, which also prevented a unified stand ( Europeans learned to play rival groups against each other)

Low level of technology as compared to the Europeans

Availability of land (size of Africa)

The European AdvantageExternal Forces:

Invention of the Maxim Gun (machine gun)

The steam engine allowed Europeans to travel upstream to establish bases of control deeper within the continent

Railroads allowed for faster transportation and communication within a colony, and between the colony & its controlling nation

Europeans had a cure for malaria (Quinine)

Maxim Gun

Scramble for Africa – 1880s European competition for the land

and resources of Africa Most rapid European expansion took

place in Africa France expansion to interior

competition Discovery of diamonds (1867) & gold

(1886) Nations were afraid that they would be

left out of the race for goods & colonies Competition threatened war between

European nations because it changed the balance of power

The Berlin Conference (1884-1885)

Scramble threatened European stability Bismarck called a meeting of 14

European nations to prevent fighting over pieces of Africa

Set rules for colonizing Africa A European country could claim land by

notifying other countries & being able to show they could control the area they claimed

Africa’s indigenous population was NOT represented at the Conference

African continent was completely divided up by 1885 (except Liberia & Ethiopia)

French

British

German

Belgian

Portuguese

Italian

Independent

Spanish

European Drawn Borders Create Problems

The European imperialists created new boundaries for their territories in Africa

Borders were drawn with no regard for the Africans that lived there (ethnically, culturally, linguistically)

This leads to many problems for the newly created African nations

Effects for Africa Arbitrary divisions of African

territories Europeans renamed lakes, rivers and

other areas that already had African names for centuries

Western civilization completely different than their own (Europeans’ focus on tech)

“the European is devoted to dead metals… we get our joy out of living creatures” –

Herero (SA)

Cash Crops & Resources When Europeans set up colonies in

Africa they believed it would be a great market to sell their goods & make profits

But Africans did not want European goods

European businesses developed cash crops – crops that are made directly for sale & profit (ex: peanuts, cocoa)

Africans were forced to grow cash crops, leaving little time to tend to their own food crops less food

Europeans also took the continent’s rich mineral resources for profit

African Resistance

Africans across the continent resisted European attempts to colonize their lands (page 694)

CONFLICT: Zulu (1816)

Zulus were highly disciplined and courageous warriors of the southern part of Africa

Fought against the British

Unsuccessful Resistance to Imperialism

THE PROBLEM ?

European weapons

Zulu land becomes controlled by the British in 1887

CONFLICT: Boer War The Dutch originally settled in South Africa

(1652), took over Africans’ lands & established large farms

BOERS = Dutch for “farmers” (the Boers later become known as Afrikaners)

Boer Guerrillas fought

against the British in the Boer War

Boer War British take over South Africa in the 1800s The Boers were forced to move north more

Africans displaced Diamonds & Gold in found in South Africa, so

many more countries come for fortune & the Boers struggle to keep control of their areas

1899 Boers vs. British 1902 British win = the Union of South Africa

Successful Resistance: Ethiopia

Only African nation to successfully resist the Europeans

Victory by Emperor Menelik II

Played Italians, French & British against each other

Built up arsenal of modern weapons purchased from France & Russia (which sold weapons to prevent Britain from taking over)

Declared war on Italian forces & defeated them