27.1 World History

Why did the Boers and the British fight over Southern Africa?

Dutch settlers known as Boers, gradually took Africans' land and established large farms. When the British took over the Cape Colony permanently in the early 1800s, they and the Boers clashed over British policy regarding land and slaves.

How did Europeans use Social Darwinism to justify empire building?

Europeans used Social Darwinism to justify empire building by their belief that they had the right and the duty to bring the results of their progress to other countries.

Why do you think Africans weren't interested in buying European products?

I believe that Africans were not interested in buying European goods because they had always been self sufficient and did not want to change their ways.

Why did the Europeans control such a small portion of Africa in the 1800s?

Powerful African armies were able to keep the Europeans out of most of Africa. Also Europeans could not navigate African rivers, which had many rapids, cataracts, and changing flows which made travel into the interior on a large-scale basis virtually impossible.

What were some of the internal factors that contributed to imperialism in Africa?

Several factors contributed to the Europeans' conquest of Africa. One overwhelming advantage was the Europeans' technological superiority. European countries quickly acquired the Maxim, while the resisting Africans were forced to rely on outdated weapons. They also had the means to control their empire. The invention of the steam engine allowed Europeans to easily travel on rivers to establish bases of control deep in the African continent. Even with superior arms and steam engines to transport them, another factor might have kept Europeans confined to the coast. They were highly susceptible to malaria, a disease carried by the dense swarms of mosquitoes in Africa's interior.

What can you infer about the Europeans' attitude toward Africans from the Berlin Conference?

You could infer that European countries felt nervous and a little fearful of war among themselves.

Boer

a Dutch colonist in South Africa

Shaka

a Zulu chief; who reorganized his forces and waged war against the Nguni clans, subjugating them and forcing forming a Zulu empire in southeastern Africa

Boer War

a conflict lasting from 1899 to 1902 in which the Boers in the British fought for control of territory in South Africa

Berlin Conference

a meeting in 1884-1885 at which representatives of European nations agreed-upon rules for the European colonization of Africa

imperialism

a policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, economically, or socially

Social Darwinism

the application of Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution and "survival of the fittest" to human societies-particularly as justification for imperialist expansion

racism

the belief that one race is superior to others