DOCSLIB.ORG

The Scramble for Africa

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Scramble for Africa The Scramble for Africa Africa before European Domination • Many ethnic groups and languages. • Europeans couldn’t navigate African rivers until the invention of the steamboat. • “Africa was uncharted and unexplored which is why it was known as the • Dark Continent” • Africans controlled their own trade networks. • “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”-Scottish missionary Forces Driving Imperialism • The Industrial Revolution created a need for raw materials and new markets. Division of Africa • Discovery of diamonds (1867) & gold (1886) in South Africa led to strong interest by Europeans who “scrambled” to obtain colonies in Africa. • Cecil Rhodes: DeBeers Diamond Company. Belief in European Superiority • Nationalism: Large empires were a measure of a countries greatness. • Racism: Belief that one race is superior to others. • Social Darwinism: “survival of the fittest”. • “Westernize” or “Civilize” the peoples of foreign lands. • Africans were not unified; they had different languages & cultures. • Internal fighting over land, water & trade rights helped Europeans gain control of Africa. European Superiority in Technology • Europeans’ technological superiority due to the Industrial Revolution. • Maxim gun: 1884-first automatic machine gun. • Steam engine allowed easy travel on rivers. • Railroad, cables, & steamships helped control colonies. • The drug, quinine, protected Europeans from malaria. Berlin Conference (1884 – 1885) • Established Rules to divide up Africa • European nations could claim land in Africa by notifying other nations of its claim and showing it could control the area. • No African rulers were invited to attend these meetings. • Goal: to keep European countries from fighting each other. Death in the Congo • Belgium obtained land in the Congo River valley. • King Leopold II forced Africans to collect sap from rubber plants. • 10 million Congolese died in brutal human rights violations. Death in the Congo • King Leopold was a figure head of tiny Belgium. Belgium had no colonies-& he had no power at home. He wanted a rich colonial empire. He had journalist Henry Stanley (the one who found Dr. Livingstone) get local clan chiefs to sign more than 450 treaties turning over their lands and labor of their people to Stanley. The chiefs had no idea what they were signing in exchange for cloth, trinkets, & alcohol. Human Rights Violations • Leopold was granted one million square miles of the resource rich Congo basin during the Berlin Conference. This is 80 times larger than Belgium. Leopold only allowed the natives to trade with Belgium. The natives hunted elephants for their ivory tusks & gathered sap from wild rubber vines growing in the rain forest. This involved the hard labor of many men who were often away from their families for long periods. Death in the Congo • When the Congo people refused to continue working under poor conditions, Leopold forcibly took natives & made them slaves. Following the invention of the inflatable tire, a rubber boom started. Leopold’s agents held wives & children of men as hostages until the men returned with their quota of rubber. The natives fled into the wilderness & set the vines on fire. Death in the Congo • Leopold’s private army, Force Publique searched the forests for rebels & killed them. To prove they had succeeded, soldiers were ordered to cut off & bring back the right hand of every rebel they killed. Often, soldiers cut off the hands of living persons, even children, to satisfy the quota set by their officers. This terror campaign succeeded in getting workers back to collecting rubber. Profits soared. Human Rights Violation • Edmund Morel, a young British shipping clerk was sent to the Congo to supervise shipping. He uncovered the “secret society of murderers” who forced natives to collect rubber at gunpoint. His report led to an investigation & the Congo was turned over to the Belgian government. But rich in copper, diamonds, oil, uranium, & rubber, the Congo did not receive its independence until 1960 Epitaph (tomb inscription) • King Leopold’s Congo Free State was an economic, environmental, cultural, & human disaster for the Congo people. An estimated 8-10 million people died during Leopold’s rule. “Listen to the yell of Leopold’s ghost Burning in Hell for his hand-maimed host, Hear how the demons chuckle & yell Cutting his hands off, down in HELL!!!” Zulus fight the British • Zulu chief, Shaka, created large centralized state with disciplined warriors and good military organization. • Using spears and shields against British guns, the Zulus almost defeated the British. • July 1879, the Zulus lost the Battle of Ulundi & their kingdom. • The Zulu nation fell to British control. Boers vs. British • Dutch settled Cape of Good Hope in 1652. • Dutch settlers were called Boers (farmers). • Boers (Afrikaners) took over Africans’ land & made large farms. • 1800’s: British took over the Cape colony. • Great Trek: Boers moved north to escape British. Boer War-South African War • British vs. Boers • Boers used commando raids and guerrilla tactics (hit and run). • British burned Boer farms & imprisoned women & children in disease-filled concentration camps. South Africa • 1910, Britain won the war & South Africa gained self-rule as a dominion of the British Empire (allowed to govern its own domestic affairs). • Constitutional government gave power to whites & denied the black majority its rights. This is the beginning of apartheid, or complete, legal separation of the races. Britain’s Empire • Under Queen Victoria, 1/5th of the planet was owned by the British. • “The sun never sets on the British Empire”. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Colonialism and Its Socio-Politico and Economic Impact: a Case Study of the Colonized Congo Gulzar Ahmad  & Muhamad Safeer Awan 
    Colonialism and its Socio-politico and Economic Impact: A Case study of the Colonized Congo Gulzar Ahmad & Muhamad Safeer Awan Abstract The exploitation of African Congo during colonial period is an interesting case study. From 1885 to 1908, it remained in the clutches of King Leopold II. During this period the Congo remained a victim of exploitation which has far sighted political, social and economic impacts. The Congo Free State was a large state in Central Africa which was in personal custody of King Leopold II. The socio-politico and economic study of the state reflects the European behaviour and colonial policy, a point of comparison with other colonial experiences. The analysis can be used to show that the abolition of the slave trade did not necessarily lead to a better experience for Africans at the hands of Europeans. It could also be used to illustrate the problems of our age. The social reformers, political leaders; literary writers and the champion of human rights have their own approaches and interpretations. Joseph Conrad is one of the writers who observed the situation and presented them in fictional and historical form in his books, Heart of Darkness, The Congo Diary, Notes on Life and Letters and Personal Record. In this paper a brief analysis is drawn about the colonialism and its socio-political and psychological impact in the historical perspectives. Keywords: Colonialism, Exploitation, Colonialism, Congo. Introduction The state of Congo, the heart of Africa, was colonized by Leopold II, king of the Belgium from 1885 to 1908. During this period it remained in the clutches of colonialism.
    [Show full text]
  • Addressing Belgium's Crimes in the Congo Free State
    Historical Security Council Addressing Belgium's crimes in the Congo Free State Director: Mauricio Quintero Obelink Moderator: Arantxa Marin Limón INTRODUCTION The Security Council is one of the six main organs of the United Nations. Its five principle purposes are to “maintain international peace and security, to develop diplomatic relations among nations, to cooperate in solving international problems, promote respect for human rights, and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations” (What is the Security Council?, n.d.). The Committee is made up of 10 elected members and 5 permanent members (China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States), all of which have veto power, which ultimately allows them to block proposed resolutions. As previously mentioned, the Security Council focuses on international matters regarding diplomatic relations, as well as the establishment of human rights protocols. For this reason, Belgium’s occupation of the greater Congo area is a topic of relevance within the committee. The Congo Free State was a large territory in Africa established by the Belgian Crown in 1885, and lasted until 1908. It was created after Leopold II commissioned European investors to explore and establish the land as European territory in order to gain international, economic; and political power. When the Belgian military gained power over the Congo territory, natives included, inhumane crimes were committed towards the inhabitants, all while under Leopold II’s supervision and approval. For this reason, King Leopold II’s actions, as well as the direct crimes committed by his army, must be held accountable in order to bring justice to the territory and its people.
    [Show full text]
  • Returns on Investments During the Colonial Era: the Case of Congo
    DISCUSSION PAPER / 2006.07 Returns on Investments during the Colonial Era: The Case of Congo Frans Buelens Stefaan Marysse Comments on this Discussion Paper are invited. Please contact the authors at <[email protected]> or <[email protected]> Instituut voor Ontwikkelingsbeleid en -Beheer Institute of Development Policy and Management Institut de Politique et de Gestion du Développement Instituto de Política y Gestión del Desarrollo Venusstraat 35, B-2000 Antwerpen België - Belgium - Belgique - Bélgica Tel: +32 (0)3 220 49 98 Fax: +32 (0)3 220 44 81 e-mail: [email protected] http://www.ua.ac.be/dev DISCUSSION PAPER / 2006.07 Returns on Investments during the Colonial Era: The Case of Congo Returns on Investments during the Colonial Era: The Case of Congo Frans Buelens* Stefaan Marysse** April 2006 * Frans Buelens is a researcher at the Faculty of Applied Economics, University of Antwerp. ** Stefaan Marysse is a professor at the Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB), University of Antwerp. CONTENTS Abstract 3 Résumé 3 Introduction 5 Section 1 5 Section 2 8 Section 3 12 Section 4 15 Section 5 21 Section 6 27 Section 7 28 Appendix 1. 29 References 30 ABSTRacT Returns on Investments during the Colonial Era: The Case of Congo Before the First World War a global wave of for- eign direct investment materialised. Belgium participated in it on a global scale but after the War a shift towards the Belgian colony (Congo) was observed. With regard to these colonial in- vestments, it is commonly argued that higher (expected) profit rates were a strong incentive, although others propose that the colonial powers actually lost money on their overseas posses- sions.
    [Show full text]
  • Berlin Conference of 1884-1885
    Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 The Berlin Conference was a meeting of 14 nations to discuss territorial disputes in Africa. The meeting was held in Berlin, Germany, from November 1884 to February 1885 and included representatives from the United States and such European nations as Britain, France, and Germany. No Africans were invited to the conference. The Berlin Conference took place at a time when European powers were rushing to establish direct political control in Africa. This race to expand European colonial influence is often referred to as the "Scramble for Africa." Europeans called the Berlin meeting because they felt rules were needed to prevent war over claims to African lands. Berlin Conference • Going into the meeting, roughly 10% of Africa was under European colonial rule. • By the end of the meeting, European powers “owned” most of Africa and drew boundary lines that remained until 1914. • Great Britain won the most land in Africa and was “given” Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, and South Africa after defeating the Dutch Settlers and Zulu Nation. • The agreements made in Berlin still affect the boundaries of African countries today. • By the 1880s, Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal all wanted part of Africa. • To prevent a European war over Africa, leaders from fourteen European governments and from the United States met in Berlin, Germany, in 1884. • No Africans attended the meeting. • At the meeting, the European leaders discussed Africa’s land and how it should be divided. Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 The Berlin Conference adopted a number of provisions: 1. European nations could not just claim African territory, but had to actually occupy and administer the land.
    [Show full text]
  • Towards a History of Mass Violence in the Etat Indépendant Du Congo, 1885-1908
    This is a repository copy of Towards a History of Mass Violence in the Etat Indépendant du Congo, 1885-1908. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/74340/ Article: Roes, Aldwin (2010) Towards a History of Mass Violence in the Etat Indépendant du Congo, 1885-1908. South African Historical Journal, 62 (4). pp. 634-670. ISSN 0258-2473 https://doi.org/10.1080/02582473.2010.519937 Reuse Unless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version - refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher’s website. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Towards a History of Mass Violence in the Etat Indépendant du Congo, 1885-1908* Aldwin Roes UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD Although the „atrocities of epical proportions‟ in the Etat Indépendant du Congo (EIC, Congo Free State) are „legendary‟, no up to date scholarly introduction to the issue is currently available1.
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons from the History of the Congo Free State
    BLOCHER &G ULATI IN PRINTER FINAL (DO NOT DELETE) 2/16/2020 7:11 PM Duke Law Journal VOLUME 69 MARCH 2020 NUMBER 6 TRANSFERABLE SOVEREIGNTY: LESSONS FROM THE HISTORY OF THE CONGO FREE STATE JOSEPH BLOCHER & MITU GULATI† ABSTRACT In November 1908, the international community tried to buy its way out of the century’s first recognized humanitarian crisis: King Leopold II’s exploitation and abuse of the Congo Free State. And although the oppression of Leopold’s reign is by now well recognized, little attention has been paid to the mechanism that ended it—a purchased transfer of sovereign control. Scholars have explored Leopold’s exploitative acquisition and ownership of the Congo and their implications for international law and practice. But it was also an economic transaction that brought the abuse to an end. The forced sale of the Congo Free State is our starting point for asking whether there is, or should be, an exception to the absolutist conception of territorial integrity that dominates traditional international law. In particular, we ask whether oppressed regions should have a right to exit—albeit perhaps at a price—before the relationship between the sovereign and the region deteriorates to the level of genocide. Copyright © 2020 Joseph Blocher & Mitu Gulati. † Faculty, Duke Law School. For helpful comments and criticism, we thank Tony Anghie, Stuart Benjamin, Jamie Boyle, Curt Bradley, George Christie, Walter Dellinger, Deborah DeMott, Laurence Helfer, Tim Lovelace, Ralf Michaels, Darrell Miller, Shitong Qiao, Steve Sachs, Alex Tsesis, and Michael Wolfe. Rina Plotkin provided invaluable research and linguistic support, Jennifer Behrens helped us track down innumerable difficult sources, and the editors of the Duke Law Journal delivered exemplary edits and suggestions.
    [Show full text]
  • An Examination of the Instability and Exploitation in Congo from King Leopold II's Free State to the 2Nd Congo War
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by University of Central Florida (UCF): STARS (Showcase of Text, Archives, Research & Scholarship) University of Central Florida STARS HIM 1990-2015 2014 An Examination of the Instability and Exploitation in Congo From King Leopold II's Free State to the 2nd Congo War Baldwin Beal University of Central Florida Part of the History Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015 University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIM 1990-2015 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Beal, Baldwin, "An Examination of the Instability and Exploitation in Congo From King Leopold II's Free State to the 2nd Congo War" (2014). HIM 1990-2015. 1655. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1655 AN EXAMINATION OF THE INSTABILITY AND EXPLOITATION IN CONGO FROM KING LEOPOLD II’S FREE STATE TO THE 2ND CONGO WAR by BALDWIN J. BEAL A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors in the Major Program in History in the College of Arts and Humanities and in The Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2014 Thesis Chair: Dr. Ezekiel Walker Abstract This thesis will analyze the Congo from King Leopold II’s Free State to the 2nd Congo War. After a thorough investigation of the colonial period, this thesis will analyze the modern period.
    [Show full text]
  • AA395HI352 Carafrica
    Boston University Department of History/African American Studies AA395/HI352/IR3941 Fall 2016 Room Com 210 Africa and the Caribbean: Governance, Leadership and Power Prof. Linda Heywood Office Hours: Mondays: 11:00-12:00 African American Studies Fridays: 1:00-2:00 138 Mountfort St. Room 202 First Semester 2016 Email: [email protected] Course Description: The course focuses on the themes of governance, leadership and power in the Caribbean (from the end of slavery) and Africa (from the beginning of European conquest) to the post-independence period. This chronological and comparative approach will afford students the opportunity to interrogate how the legacy of slavery in Saint Domingue/Haiti, Cuba, and slavery/colonial rule in the British Caribbean (Jamaica and Trinidad) and colonial rule in Africa (Gold Coast/Ghana, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Angola and Angola) informed approaches to governance, leadership and power in these regions. Major goals of the course:- 1. Provide students the opportunity to become familiar with some of the relevant scholarship exploring the concepts of power, leadership and governance. 2. Students will examine the ways in which power, leadership and governance changed from the end of slavery to the 1960s in Haiti, Cuba, and the British Caribbean. 3. Students will read biographies and other studies about leaders in the Caribbean and Africa in order to understand how they gained power and their approaches to governance from the 1960s to the present. 1 The syllabus, course descriptions, and handouts created by Professor Heywood, and all class lectures are copyrighted by Boston University and/or Professor Heywood. Except with respect to enrolled students as set forth below, the materials and lectures may not be reproduced in any form or otherwise copied, displayed or distributed, nor should works derived from them be reproduced, copied, displayed or distributed without the written permission of Professor Heywood.
    [Show full text]
  • King Leopold Ii‟S Exploitation of the Congo from 1885 to 1908 and Its Consequences
    KING LEOPOLD II‟S EXPLOITATION OF THE CONGO FROM 1885 TO 1908 AND ITS CONSEQUENCES by STEVEN P. JOHNSON A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors in the Major Program in History in the College of Arts and Humanities and in The Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2014 Thesis Chair: Dr. Ezekiel Walker ABSTRACT This thesis argues that King Leopold II, in his exploitation of the Congo, dealt the Congo a future of political, ethnic, and economic destabilization. At one time consisting of unified and advanced kingdoms, the Congo turned to one completely beleaguered by poverty and political oppression. Leopold acquired the Congo through unethical means and thus took the people‟s chances away at self-rule. He provided for no education or vocational training, which would stunt future Congolese leaders from making sound economic and political policies. Leopold also exploited the Congo with the help of concession companies, both of which used forced labor to extract valuable resources. Millions of Congolese died and the Congo itself became indebted through Belgian loans that were given with no assurance they could ever truly be paid back due to the crippled economy of the Congo. With the Congo now in crippling debt, the current president, Joseph Kabila, has little incentive to invest in reforms or public infrastructure, which stunts economic growth.1 For over a century the Congo has been ruled by exploitative and authoritarian regimes due to Leopold‟s initial acquisition. The colonization from Leopold lasted from 1885-1908, and then he sold it to his home country of Belgium who ruled the Congo from 1908 to 1960.
    [Show full text]
  • The Congolese Elite and the Fragmented City : the Struggle for the Emergence of a Dominant Class in Kinshasa
    Working Paper no. 54 THE CONGOLESE ELITE AND THE FRAGMENTED CITY : THE STRUGGLE FOR THE EMERGENCE OF A DOMINANT CLASS IN KINSHASA William Freund University of KwaZulu-Natal August 2009 Crisis States Working Papers Series No.2 ISSN 1749-1797 (print) ISSN 1749-1800 (online) Copyright © W. Freund, 2009 24 Crisis States Research Paper The Congolese Elite and the Fragmented City: The struggle for the emergence of a dominant class in Kinshasa William Freund University of KwaZulu-Natal Prelude: The Belgian Congo This paper is about the present in the city of Kinshasa, the situation of the Congolese elite in the city and its relationship to the Congolese state. However, to arrive at a reasonable assessment, we need first to look at what kind of country the Democratic Republic of the Congo is, how its class structure has formed and then at the network of Congolese cities and their relation to the political economy of the country. We start with a few paragraphs on colonial history. Eventually, after trying to sum up some of the main features writers have captured about Kinshasa, we shall consider to what extent it is a city being made or taken over by an indigenous elite. At least amongst those interested in Africa, the black legend associated with the misrule of King Leopold II of the Belgians and his Congo Free State has continued to live in literature and retain its horror film aura thanks to the continued best-selling writing of such captivating authors as Adam Hochschild, Vidia Naipaul and Michaela Wrong. (Hochschild, 1998, Naipaul, 1980, Wrong, 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise and Decline of the Congolese State
    Working Paper No. 21 THE RISE AND DECLINE OF THE CONGOLESE STATE AN ANALYTICAL NARRATIVE ON STATE-MAKING Gabi Hesselbein Crisis States Research Centre November 2007 Copyright © G. Hesselbein 2007 Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in this Working Paper, the Crisis States Research Centre and LSE accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims or accuracy of information provided by contributors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher nor be issued to the public or circulated in any form other than that in which it is published. Requests for permission to reproduce this Working Paper, of any part thereof, should be sent to: The Editor, Crisis States Research Centre, DESTIN, LSE, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE. Crisis States Working Papers Series No.2 ISSN 1749-1797 (print) ISSN 1749-1800 (online) 1 Crisis States Research Centre The Rise and Decline of the Congolese State1 An analytical narrative on state-making Gabi Hesselbein2 Crisis States Research Centre Abstract: This analytical narrative investigates the varying nature and strength of the state in Congo/Zaire from colonial times through the tumultuous years after independence, the ups and downs of the Mobutu years, the two wars at the turn of the century, the interim government and the beginning of the fourth republic in 2006. After a discussion of the prevalent theories of state failure, this text discusses state resilience and fragility within the framework of late industrialisation and the difficulties in transforming a pre- capitalist society into a capitalist one.
    [Show full text]
  • KONCZACKI, Janina M. (Ed.), "VICTORIAN EXPLORER
    Afrika Focus, Vol. 10, Nr. 3-4, 1994, pp.201-205 KONCZACKI, Janina M. (ed.), "VICTORIAN EXPLORER. THE AFRICAN DIARIES OF CAPTAIN WILLIAM G. STAIRS, 1887-1892" Nimbus Publishing, Halifax, Canada, 1994, 319 pp, $19.95 The central body of this book consists of the diaries William G. Stairs compo­ sed during the two expeditions he made to the African interior at the end of the nineteenth century. The first was the "Emin Pasha Relief Expedition" (1887-1889), led by the well-known Henry M. Stanley; the second was the "Katanga Expedition" (1891-1892), under the command of Stairs himself. Owing not in the least to the laborious work of Konczacki, out of scraps and bits of notes, a magnificent work has been created. Due to climatic and logistic reasons whole phrases of the diaries were either lost or illegible. The fragmented entries were carefully recorded and, as far as possible, missing or illegible words and phrases were reconstructed. Each chapter, dealing with a certain phase of the expedition, is intertwined with editorial narratives and comments on the experiences of Stairs and his companions. Adding to these the numerous historical notes, pointing to thorough research, the two diaries reveal a good deal of Stairs's expeditions. Although the reader, especially the one not too familiar with Central Africa, comes across a lot of interesting geographical, botanical, and ethnographical details about this part of Africa, he learns in fact more about the current western views and thoughts on Africa and Africans at the end of the nine­ teenth century. Consider the following quotes: One does not notice among the natives the diversity that exists among Europeans.
    [Show full text]