The Scramble for Africa How Did Imperialism Aﬀect Africa?

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The Scramble for Africa How did imperialism aﬀect Africa?

Imperialism in Africa and the Middle East: Change Over Time Chart As you read pages 3 and 4, use this Change Over Time Chart to show how society, economic activities, and political boundaries in Africa and the Middle East changed as a result of European imperialism.

Teacher's Guide

Until the late 1870s, Europeans had very little knowledge of Africa, particularly its interior regions. Britain, France, and Portugal had a few small outposts in northern Africa and along the coasts. Most of these outposts were created for the West African slave trade, which the British outlawed in 1807.

All of this changed in the 1880s. Africa was rich in raw materials, which the expanding European nations found appealing for producing goods. Gold, diamonds, and platinum could be mined in Africa. Exotic woods such as mahogany grew along with crops such as rubber, palm oil, coffee, and cocoa. Ivory from elephant tusks was another popular resource. Africa was also an important new market for European countries looking to expand. The United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain all rushed into Africa, hoping to seize the most territory in this untouched continent. This sudden rush to claim as much of Africa as possible became known as the Scramble for Africa.

King Leopold II, who ruled Belgium from 1865 to 1909, wanted to make Belgium an imperial power, and he believed that colonizing Africa was the best way to accomplish this goal. He stated that he wanted to bring Western civilization to Africa, but his main goal was to gain access to the continent’s vast supply of natural resources. Leopold hired an explorer, Henry Morton Stanley, to travel along the Congo River Basin for five years. Leopold also charged Stanley with setting up trading posts, or small stores used for trading or selling goods. Stanley had previously interacted with the locals when he was hired by a New York newspaper to find Dr. David Livingstone, a missionary who had gone missing. Stanley used the relationships he had previously developed with the locals to persuade them to sign treaties with Leopold. In these treaties, local leaders agreed to give Leopold control over their land.

Leopold used these treaties to lead the effort to develop Belgian trade in the Congo River Basin. The United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, and Germany responded by claiming other African territories. The competition for raw materials became fierce, and Africa’s abundant resources were a coveted prize. In 1884, European powers agreed to meet in Berlin to settle these conflicts.

Dividing a Continent

The Berlin Conference began on November 15, 1884, and involved every major European power except Switzerland. The main purpose of the conference was to settle ownership claims in the Congo River Basin in Central Africa. The Congo River was hundreds of miles long, making it an important access point to Central Africa. Other European powers were angry that Leopold had claimed the basin for Belgium and blocked access to the Upper Congo River.

At the conference, European powers agreed to make the Congo River Basin a neutral site used for European free trade. The conference also clarified how European powers could claim African territory. Colonizing nations had to be physically present in the region and establish troops, government, and commerce to claim the territory as theirs.

Even though control of Africa was decided at the Berlin Conference, no Africans were present. Native Africans had no input into the Europeans’ decisions about their lands. This lack of input contributed to feelings of resentment by the locals. Tensions increased as Europeans sent agents to various African leaders after the Berlin Conference to sign treaties of protection. The Europeans believed these treaties gave them total control over African states. The Africans, in contrast, saw these treaties as establishing diplomatic relationships in which the African states could negotiate with the Europeans. This misunderstanding contributed to tensions in the continent as Europe exerted its power over African societies, leading to numerous violent battles.

African Resistance

Many Africans fought back against the European imperialists. Some of the African nations were small and did not have armies. These nations fought using guerilla tactics, or small, informal strikes. This style of fighting made it difficult for the Europeans to completely defeat or control them because the native Africans knew the local geography better. The Igbo people of Nigeria fought against the British beginning in 1898 using this method. Even after the British established their colony, the Igbo continued to attack. Larger and more powerful African nations such as the Zulus, Mandinkas, and Ethiopians organized large armies to fight the Europeans. Many existing African states were not strong or united enough to ward off well-organized European powers that utilized new technologies such as steam engines and machine guns. Ultimately, only the nations of Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent. Ethiopia’s success is attributed to its leader, Menelik II, who united the territory and modernized its weapons before Italy could take over. In the battle of Adwa in 1896, an army of 100,000 Ethiopian troops fought and defeated the Italian army. Liberia, meanwhile, maintained its independence through diplomacy, agreeing to treaties with the United Kingdom and France.

VIDEO SEGMENT Imperialism in Africa Imperialism had many negative impacts on the native Africans.

VIDEO SEGMENT Belgian Occupation of the Congo How were the local populations aﬀected by Belgian occupation?

IMAGE Leopold II Belgium’s Leopold II ruled from 1865 to 1909 and was responsible for Belgium’s expansion in Africa.

IMAGE European Partition of Africa, 1800–1914 Major European powers decided how Africa would be divided; native Africans were not included in the discussion.

READING PASSAGE Find Livingstone! Henry Morton Stanley was a journalist known for his search for missionary David Livingstone. Read more about Stanley's journalistic quest.

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