African Imperialism In 1960: An Analysis

Ever heard the saying big bank take little bank ? That’s basically what imperialism is. Imperialism is a policy which a strong nation take complete control over other countries . This is exactly what the Europeans did in several different parts of Africa . Not only did the Europeans divided and colonized Africa but they took everything away ,from their culture to their independence. Why take all this away ? It’s simple , the Europeans nations was competing against each other and they thought they were superior. They noticed Africa had many raw materials and resources they could use and benefit from. The driving force for imperialism in Africa was economics , competition , and politics.

During the European Scramble for Africa, in the early 20th century, Africans had a peaceful reaction with anti-imperialistic sentiments (docs. 2, 3, 4, and 7), peaceful actions through the approach of diplomacy (docs.1, 2, and 3) and also a rebellious anti-imperialistic reaction (docs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) towards the Scramble for Africa.

Imperialism is defined as one country’s domination of the political, economic, and social life of another country. In Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, imperialism was present and growing. The main countries involved in the imperialism in Africa were the French, German, and Great Britain. The French’s empire was mainly in North and West Africa while Britain’s colonies were scattered throughout the continent. Germany ruled over such countries as Tanganyika, Togoland, and Cameroon, until their defeat in World War I.

European Imperialism and Colonization of Africa created many social and economic changes including superiority over different people, technological advances, and new territories for European countries.

The actions of the developed nations were justified in regards to imperialism in Africa. Europe desired to gain not only more land, but more power. The Europeans nations and the United States took control over Asia, Africa, and South America. Taking over Africa had its negative effects but overall it was the most feasible and justifiable arrangement.

In the wake of the industrial revolution, many European countries gained economic power as well and eventually military power. The first to invest in the industrial revolution was Great Britain, making the nation one of the most hegemonic powers since it was able to gain advantage over the other European nation who was involved in the Balance of Power, which was created in 1815, and involved Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, France, and Austria. The Balance of Power was created to help prevent major wars between the nations whereby, every nation stated would have and equitable military based on its size and location however, since Britain industrialized, the nation was able to erode the balance of power and industrialization was able to make size obsolete because of mechanized and advanced weaponry. As a result, Britain was able to surpass the other nations and was able to expand its nation and belief around the. Ultimately, as a result Britain was able to become the most hegemonic nation around the world. One of the locations Britain was able to colonize was Africa by the nineteenth century where it was ultimately able to aid the Africans, by spreading Christianity and helped improve the overall conditions in the conquered area and assimilated the Africans to European cultures, as well as advance the Africans technology.

In the 1800’s Imperialism, an action by a strong nation to take control of another country, became prominent in Europe towards Africa. The driving forces of Imperialism in Africa were competition for land, economics, and the need for power. The “Partition of Africa, 1884-85” map demonstrates the competition related to the colonization of European colonies in Africa. There were a total of 7 European countries that imperialized Africa, but the main countries were France and Britain. The only non-colonized countries were Ethiopia and Liberia; this was because they had an established strong government.

Imperialism in Africa began in the late 19th century. It began when King Leopold II began the Scramble for Africa. All of the major colonial powers went after Africa. Their goal was to gain the most wealth and to have the most territory. Having more territory and claiming valuable parts of the continent was a symbol of power. Imperialism in Africa had negative and positive consequences on both the Europeans and Africans, these can be shown through human rights issues, new industry and advancements, and wealth and influence.

In the early 1880’s, the powers of Europe started to take control of regions in Africa and set up colonies there. In the beginning, colonization caused the Africans little harm, but before long, the Europeans started to take complete control of wherever they went. The Europeans used their advanced knowledge and technology to easily maneuver through the vast African landscape and used advanced weapons to take control of the African people and their land. The countries that claimed the most land and had the most significant effect on Africa were France, England, Belgium, and Germany. There were many reasons for the European countries to be competing against each other to gain colonies in Africa. One of the main reasons was that the

diplomacy or military force. In the 20th century many European countries attempted to colonize the great continent of Africa. Europeans saw Africa as an area they would be able to profit from, as it had a great climate, good size, and some phenomenal natural resources. While the Europeans divided the continent of Africa they failed to see the possible negative effects on themselves, and the indigenous people of Africa. Their foresight was limited to only the positive outcomes.

Africa’s rich history and unique geographic features make this continent vastly different from the six others on this planet. Being the only continent with a majority of its landmass lying in the tropics, it’s inhabitants adapted to their situation accordingly. Unlike Europe, who adopted industry, Africans developed in small, isolated tribes due to the rugged geography, which led to problems with government and poverty when Europeans tried to implement their ways on native people. The extremely diverse geographic features of Africa, including its deserts, mountains, valleys and rainforests obstructed movement from place to place, making it much easier for people to live in smaller groups. These tribes all had their own unique languages and

Over the course of human history, many believe that the “Congo Free State”, which lasted from the 1880s to the early 1900s, was one of the worst colonial states in the age of Imperialism and was one of the worst humanitarian disasters over time. Brutal methods of collecting rubber, which led to the deaths of countless Africans along with Europeans, as well as a lack of concern from the Belgian government aside from the King, combined to create the most potent example of the evils of colonialism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s. The Congo colonial experience, first as the Congo Free State then later as Belgian Congo, was harmful to that region of Africa both then and now because of the lack of Belgian and International

The Scramble for Africa was the colonization of Africa from 1884-1914. During this time period, Europeans believed that Britain’s economy and Liberalism would lead the world to the right direction. European countries such as Britain and France being the most dominant, and others such as Italy and Spain dominating small parts of Africa. The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 was the regulated trade and colonization in Africa, which was the beginning of the Scramble for Africa. From the Berlin Conference, European countries started colonial imperialism in Africa. Imperialism is the act of spreading the influence of one country through force. Power and an economic thrive was seen in Africa for the Europeans, which is something they wanted.

This is a tale of horror and tragedy in the Congo, beginning with the brutal and exploitative regime of King Leopold II of Belgium, and culminating with the downfall of one of Africa’s most influential figures, Patrice Lumumba. The Congo is but one example of the greater phenomenon of European occupation of Africa. The legacy of this period gives rise to persistent problems in the Congo and throughout Africa. Understanding the roots and causes of this event, as focused through the lense of the Congo, is the subject of this paper.

Africa is home to countless cultures that all have their own unique ideas and customs. During the past couple of centuries, these cultures were threatened to the point where they almost ceased to exist. The Berlin Conference was a very important occurrence in Africa and Europe's history. It legitimized what the European powers, mainly France and Britain, had been doing for the past hundred years, without the approval of any African country. During the late nineteenth century, France and Britain began imperialistic ventures into Africa, which eventually led Leopold II to conquer the Congo. It was Leopold's II presence in Africa that to led the Berlin Conference.