European Imperialism in Africa
Southern Africa
Dutch showed up very early (1450)- encountered resistance from Zulus, who they eventually defeated British fought Dutch for control (Boer War of 1900)
Algerian resistance
50-year resistance to French rule led by Samouri Touré in West Africa unsuccessful
About how many different languages were spoken in Africa
About 1,000 different languages
Triangular Trade
Africa to New World = slaves New World to Europe= raw materials (found by slaves) Europe to Africa= manufactured goods (made with the raw materials)
consequences of slave trade
Africans lose generations of their strongest members African families torn apart guns brought to Africa by Europeans spread of African culture all over New World
political reasons for European interest in Africa
take territories for political gain prevent other European powers from having access to African raw materials and riches
When did the Europeans first establish contact with the Africans?
the 1450s.
imperialism
the takeover of a country, territory, or area by a stronger nation in order to dominate and control the government, resources, economy, and culture of the weaker nation
Africa before colonization: trade networks
traded with the Arabs and Europeans for centuries strong trade networks controlled gold and ivory
Battle of Adowa
war declared by Menelik II when Italians tried to trick him Ethiopians successfully defeated the Italians and their nation remained independent
How were the Africans able to keep out the Europeans from most of the continent?
with their powerful armies; they were able to do this for about 400 years.
Otto Von Bismarck
Imperial chancellor of German Empire convened Berlin Conference to 1884 to peacefully divide up Africa
Northern Africa
N. Africa originally a Muslim area occupied by French convenient for French bc France is close to N. Africa competition with Germany for this area (particularly Morocco) Suez Canal- if you control it, you prevent the need to go around all of Africa to get to Asia
Name the order in which European nations claimed parts of Africa at the Berlin Conference
Portugal, England, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy
what were the earliest European contacts with Africa?
Portuguese and Dutch
Olaudah Equiano
escaped slave who wrote a memoir
What kinds of Europeans penetrated the interior of Africa?
explorers, missionaries, or humanitarians who were against the European and American slave trade.
science/exploration reasons for European interest in Africa
find rivers for expansions and control of trade learn of new materials that could be useful in manufacturing
Henry Stanley
hired by American newspaper to find Dr. David Livingstone found DL then set out to explore Congo River his explorations sparked curiosity of King Leopold II, who commissioned him to help him obtain land in the Congo
Africa before colonization: isolation
Europeans could not get inside Africa because the rivers were too hard to navigate Africa had powerful armies that prevented invasion by the Europeans
Africa's early trade states
Mali/Songhai, Swahili States, Great Zimbabwe
Menelik II
became emperor of Ethiopia in 1889 successfully played French, British, and Italians against each other (all trying to bring Ethiopia into their spheres of influence) built up large arsenal of modern weapons 1889, was signing treaty with Italians when he noticed that Italians had tried to trick him into giving them Ethiopia
Who was David Livingstone? Why did he travel to central Africa?
a Scottish missionary who traveled to central Africa in 1860s because he wanted to spread Christianity several years passed with no word from him
granary
a storehouse of grain
name the African kingdoms in order from earliest to most recent
Nok Jenne-jeno Aksum Bantu Port Cities Ghana Sosso Mali Songhai Portugal Dutch England France Belgium Germany Spain Italy
what is the importance of Social Darwinism?
claims that the wealthy are strong and therefore have the right to rule the poor who are weak emphasized competition between races rather than cooperation justified European expansion into Africa and Asia
Why would a nation practice imperialism?
1. wealth 2. power 3. racism 4. Christianity
Atlantic/European Slave Trade
1450-1800 W. Africa to New World + Europe about 15-20 million color/race based life terms violent and cruel people were things only used for manual labor
Great Trek
1830s several thousand Boers moved north to escape the British fought fiercely with Zulu and other African groups whose land they were taking (Battle of Blood River= Boers vs. Zulus)
Scramble for Africa
1880s-1914 intense European interest and colonization of Africa starts with the Berlin Conference
Berlin Conference
1884 held because European nations worried they would break out into war if they didn't decide peacefully who got control of what land in Africa 13 nations of Europe invited to participate- no African nations invited
Boer War
1900; Dutch fought British for control of Southern Africa
Maji-Maji Rebellion
German East Africa- Germans wanted to grow cash crops (people didn't like this because it meant fewer crops that they could eat) 1905, belief emerged that if the Africans sprinkled themselves with magic water (maji-maji), the Germans' bullets would turn into water Germans easily defeated Africans, killing about 75,000 a famine followed, killing even more
who was Social Darwinism developed by and when?
Herbert Spencer in the 1860s
By the 1880s, what percent of land in Africa did the Europeans control?
about 10% of the land in Africa
economic reasons for European interest in Africa
access to precious metals, raw materials, and slaves
advantages from technology for the West in the scramble for Africa
advanced technology made Europeans superior: Maxim gun, steam engine, railroad
era of "New Imperialism"
after the 17th century- nations occupied the territories, controlled the inhabitants, and utilized the natural resources for their benefit
Muslim Slave Trade
as early as 700 CE N. Africa primarily (connections to W. Africa, Europe, and Mediterranean) about 17 million people captured + sold (peoples of war, debtors, criminals) no racial, religious, or ethnic distinction slaves are specialized, not just labor Manumission: buy your freedom
causes of slave trade
colonies with labor intensive crops (sugar, tobacco)
advantages from competition for the West in the scramble for Africa
competition among the European nations for resources, wealth, and power
positive effects of colonialsm
decrease in local warfare sanitation improved some hospitals and schools provided lifespans increased, literacy rates improved African products began to be valued in the international market
Slave Trade
disputed and controversial (didn't keep good records) many deaths forced movement of Africans between 1450-1810 from W. Africa to Europe + New World
General Act
drafted in Feb. 1885 defined spheres of influence in Africa rules were put in place to claim control of African territories established regulations to ensure protection of missionaries, scientists, and explorers of Africa European powers had power over the territory and would override any challenges made by local rulers and peoples
what is the doctrine of "effective occupation?"
established to protect trade and travel on the Congo and Niger Rivers for all- this meant that rivers would not be under any one country's control
Cecil Rhodes
finds diamond deposit in southern Africa, claimed control of diamond mines, creates De Beers Consolidated Mines, the biggest diamond company of today brought railroad, telegraph
What are the 3Gs?
gold, God, and glory the motivations for imperialism (money, spreading the word of God, success)
Africa before colonization: diversity
hundreds of ethnic and linguistic groups, many different religions
What religions existed in Africa?
hundreds of linguistic groups in Africa- the majority followed their traditional beliefs, but there were also many who converted to Islam or Christianity.
How did industrialization lead to imperialism?
industrialization interested the Europeans- they saw Africa as a place to get resources for their own industrial ambitions, where nations could compete for new markets for their goods, and where they could get many raw materials. Consequently, the Europeans seized areas of Africa.
negative effects of colonialsm
lost control of land and independence lots of Africans died because of new diseases/battle imposed partition- split cultures, states, etc. famine due to Europeans wanting to grow cash crops
What time period constitutes the eve of European domination?
mid-1800s.
Gains for colonizing a nation
new markets to sell goods strategic advantage of location gold, silver, diamonds, copper, iron, rubber, etc. new territory training for European armies room for population expansion
Central Africa
occupied by Belgium (the private property of King Leopold II) lots of rubber KLII claimed to go to Africa to protect Africans, but in reality, there was violent exploitation/extremely harsh labor (for rubber- made a lot of money)
East Africa
occupied by British gained the land after defeating Napoleon in the early 1800s trade with Asia was very important (made them a lot of money) access to rivers (to get to interior of Africa)
West Africa
occupied partly by French, partly by British, and partly by Portuguese slave trade, ivory
Liberia
one of two African states that remained independent during the Scramble for Africa founded by freed slaves
"Magnificent Cake"
said by Leopold II during the Berlin Conference to describe Africa and how it would be split up among the European nations
early Dutch contact with Africa
sailed to Asia for spices and stopped along the way in Africa traded Asian fabrics with the Africans towards the end of the 18th century, began to trade in slaves
according to the General Act, what did European nations have to do to claim a part of Africa?
set up government offices there
early Portuguese contact with Africa
ships began exploring African coast in the 1450s interested in gold the first Europeans to buy slaves from the Congo
religious reasons for European interest in Africa
spread Christianity
Principle of Effectivity
states that nations must utilize their colonies or they can be taken by other European nations
Nzingha
the Queen of a kingdom that tried to stop slavery one of the only female leaders of sub-Saharan Africa
advantages from medicine for the West in the scramble for Africa
the discovery of malaria protection: quinine
What prevented the Europeans from navigating the rivers in Africa for so long? What changed in the 1880s that then allowed them in?
the rivers were extremely hard to navigate since they had rapids, cataracts, and changing flows in the 1880s the invention of the steam-powered riverboat changed this
Social Darwinism
the theory of evolution and survival of the fittest as applied to human society and politics