European Imperialism In Africa In The Late 19th Century

Prior to the movement of European Imperialism in Africa, a major law was passed. In 1807, the British government banned the Transatlantic slave trade. As a result, in 1833, slavery as a whole was completely demolished. Slavery was a very profitable trade for not only Britain, but many other European powers. Without the slave trade, many European nations were looking for a new way to expand their power of others. Therefore, many European nations switched their focus and claimed their share of the African continent, in order to continue their economic and social dominance (Document A).

From 1500 to 1800, the Europeans already had their eyes on Africa, although not for the purpose of imperialism. Over the next century, slavery was abolished and Belgium began by establishing the Free Congo State in order to make money. Soon, many other European leaders began to realize that Africa was rich with natural resources (Background Essay). The main forces driving European Imperialism in Africa were the capabilities of the European countries’ economies and the opportunity for more wealth and money.

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.

During the nineteenth century, Europe was scrambling to colonize Africa. Before the year 1880, Europe controlled only ten percent of Africa. However, due to the Industrial Revolution and its inventions, Europe obtained the means to go into Africa and take what they wanted. Some countries wanted the raw materials from Africa while others thought that by taking control of the land, it would show how they were superior to other nations and would gain respect. Some Europeans thought that because they were superior it was their duty to help the Africans. European powers scrambled to colonize Africa because they wanted respect, to strengthen the economy, and to civilize the Africans.

Around the year 1897 Edward Morel noticed something that would change the way the modern world viewed the colonization of Africa and the supposed “humanitarian” work there forever (Hochschild 1). Morel worked for an English shipping company that was responsible for cargo going between the Congo Free State and Belgium. What Morel noticed was that ships from Africa were filled with rich, exotic goods like rubber and ivory, but the ships headed to Africa from Belgium were filled with military members and various firearms and ammunition (Hochschild 2). Morel made the conclusion that the cause of this odd “trade” between Europe and Africa was slave labor. European colonization of Africa was a slow, arduous process resulting in the deaths of

The Industrial Revolution consumed all Europe’s natural resources and raw materials, so European’s sought to find a substantial location to support their rising economies. European’s saw that Africa had an abundance of raw materials and resources so they used social, political, and economic forces to imperialize their land. Imperialism is a policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, economically, or socially. The main driving force behind European Imperialism in Africa was economics and competition.

In the 1800s European decided it was a good idea to forcefully imperialize Africa. They divided Africa into colonies of which, only two are independent from other countries. The main reasons that Europeans conquered the colonies in Africa was because of Nationalism, raw materials and the economy.

Imperialism in Africa occurred in the late 1800s due to Europeans wanting to expand to West and Central Africa. Even till this day one can see the damaging effect on the economy. Imperialism is a policy in which a strong nation is to dominate other countries politically, economically, and socially. During European Imperialism , European nations look to Africa as a source of raw materials and market for industrial products. Europeans were able to take over majority of the African colonies because there were more advanced as a civilization and had technology to help navigate their way through Africa. For example, the electric telegraph (for communicating over long distance), and quinine from cinchona tree bark ( a treatment for malaria). Before

Imperialism impacted Africa and india by the motivations that they had like power over the people. Power over the people made it so they would have to report to a higher power and not be able to control themselves. This lead to the change of religion to what the higher power choose. They could take the resources that the country had for example gold, weapons, food and even other humans. That brought slave trading and just the basic trade of resources that other countries needed.

Colonialism is the establishment of the political and economic control of one state over another state. This establishment had one of the biggest impacts on Africa. This experience of colonialism began to take effect between the 1400s and 1800s. It started when the Europeans arrived to Africa and set up trading posts. In the late 1800s and early 1900s the increase of European power took over most of the continent. The legacy of the colonial experience will influence the history of the continent.

With the end of the slave trade and the beginning of “legitimate trade,” European countries began to set up forts and colonies along the coasts of Africa. These forts and colonies began to nibble at the continent bit by bit; within thirty years, almost the entire continent had been claimed by colonial powers. Since there was a rise in nationalism among European countries, Africa provided these colonizers with their own market to produce raw materials and goods that would be used to benefit Europe’s Industrial Revolution. And so, with the increasing need for raw materials and a new market the ‘Scramble for Africa’ brought political as well as economic impacts to the continent. The main goal of these colonizers were to exploit African

Africa had been known as the ‘dark continent’ considering Europeans knew little of its culture or background. Europeans sought control over Africa because of its natural resources and plantation. By 1914 almost all of Africa was colonized by Europeans, with Britain and France being the biggest colonizers. The imperialization in Africa by European countries have had a significant impact on the continent and its indigenous people. The colonization of African countries has had a negative effect, as the native Africans were treated poorly in the Belgian Congo, resources were exploited for the benefit of the Europeans and African culture was lost.

The impact of European Colonialism is still largely visible on the African continent today. For most Africans, European rule ended around the 1960s, leaving behind a legacy of arbitrary political boundaries, ineffective governance, corruption, and nonviable economic practices.

In 1870 the beginning of African’s colonization commenced. The country faced aggression, Military invasion, and colonization. Natives made an effort to resist foreign influence but were unsuccessful. In the early twentieth century, most of Africa was conquered excluding Ethiopia and Liberia. European imperialist push into Africa was motivated by three main factors, economic, political, and social (Iweriebor, 2002). Was the canalization of Africa beneficial to the continent? Foreign influence from Western Countries was not an advantage to Africa since this influence affected the nation’s education, conviction and created division.

Colonization is the action of annexing an area or people, usually by force. Colonialism mimics the story of someone who comes and takes another person's car as theirs without the original owner's consent and decides to use it as long as they want. This is what the Europeans did to Africans and their land. European colonists came to Africa and separated the land amongst themselves and took it as theirs. The colonization of another country isn't always right. Colonizing another brings along harsh mistreatment to the natives and even a collapse of the economy of the colonized nation.