European Imperialism In Africa

The abundance of raw materials found in Africa helped with technological progression in Europe, aiding in economic gain. Expansion of territory gave European nations a gain in power and prestige, as well as a sense of superior responsibility to civilize colonists. While European imperialism did have its own benefits, such as modernizing colonies with roads, schools, railroads, and hospitals, it also had a number of negative effects. While many lives were lost in the process, they also diminished colonies of their cultural identity, enforcing European values on natives. In spite of that, European imperialism holds a prominent significance in our society today all over the

In 1885 at Berlin, the major european powers meet together, each seeking to increase their influence on the world by taking control of the African continent. Europe had a grip on Africa until a series of African independence movements in the 1960s. Between that time the native people of each African colony were treated differently and used for different purposes. Compare and Contrast how each European country used and treated the people of their respective colonies.

European countries had rivalries and competitions creating tense conditions that resulted in Imperialism. They were greedy for wealth and took ports and deposits of valuable materials all for themselves. Finally, the Europeans had a stronger power and presence which intimidated the colonized people making them lesser. This essay matters today because If the colonized people were to benefit more from Imperialism, there would most definitely be a lot more imperializing happening today. African societies would be more advanced and sophisticated as well as a larger trade market and variety in production. Though this never happened and the benefits of imperialism went to the

Amongst the 1870s and 1900, Africa confronted European imperialist hostility, political pressures, military assaults, and ultimately the conquest and colonization. At the same time, African civilizations put up numerous methods of resistance against the effort to inhabit their countries and enforce foreign control. By the early twentieth century, however, much of Africa, except Ethiopia and Liberia, had been inhabited by European powers. The European imperialist drive into Africa was encouraged by three main factors, economic, political, and social. It established in the nineteenth century following the collapse of the profitability of the slave trade, its abolition and suppression, as well as the expansion of the European capitalist Industrial Revolution. The requirements of capitalist development—including the request for guaranteed sources of raw materials, the search for definite markets and profitable investment passages—encouraged the European scramble and the partition and ultimate conquest of Africa.

During the 1800-1960 time period, many events occurred that showed how determined the people of Africa were to gain their independance and freedom. Because of their determination, these years brought a lot of change. In the year 1800, the slave trade came to an end. The slave trade started as a trade between equals, but overtime it turned into enslavement and forced people to migrate. This shows how Africa is changing for the better. After that, in 1884, the “Scramble for Africa” happened. This was an unethical way for the Europeans to discuss how to conquer Africa. The Africans had no say in this, so this shows how Europe was only getting stronger. The events in the next few years, showed the continent’s nationalism and pride. The national

New Imperialism in Africa was caused by many factors, and had a great impact on the histories of both Europe and Africa, because of Europe’s gain of land, money, and power, and Africa’s loss of culture and way of life. Although I see and understand motives by the Europeans, I do not agree that they were justified for their actions in Africa. New Imperialism was a period of colonial expansion into closer regions, such as Africa, by the strong European nations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1869, the French finished the Suez Canal in Egypt, which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, which ultimately leads to the Indian Sea. This shortcut to India was wanted by all of Europe, and this worried Britain about their colony

Called the Scramble for Africa, this was a period between 1880 and 1900 of rapid colonization of the African continent by European powers. (Boddy-Evans, 2015). The primary motivation for European intrusion of Africa was the exploitation of its resources (DeeJayAllah, 2015). The end of the European trading of slaves left a need for commerce between Europe and Africa, and a new legitimate trade now had to be encouraged between the two continents.

In the age of Imperialism, European countries sought to colonize the world. It all came crashing down as European countries became involved in conflicts and could not sustain this infrastructure. In South Africa, European ideals were held so strongly in the government that segregation was the norm long after Europe and North America had become desegregated. Africa was seen as a place to steal from, whether it was slaves, minerals, riches, or land. From the constant European intervention and inability of nations to function on their own and control their people, Africa has become a vacuum of centralized power with new puppet democracies controlled by dictators and warlords. European control was a very hands-on way of controlling every aspect of African life in the government, infrastructure, culture, technology, religion. When African countries became independent, it was a struggle to adopt their new identity Because of the overpowering European dominance in every aspect of live, Africa was deprived of the chance to learn and develop on its

Before the 19th century, Europeans knew very little about the interior of Africa. Between 1500 and 1800, European presence in Africa was mostly about buying and selling slaves from local chiefs. With the end of slavery, European interests in the continent shifted to imperialism and seizing colonies. The driving force behind imperialism in Africa will have to due to the fact of nationalism, cultural reasons and resources and economics which helped formed colonialism.

There were many factors that contributed to imperialism in Africa. Imperialism is when a nation plans to dominate or take over another but in political, economic, or social ways. The Europeans’ were trying to dominate Africa and there were many factors that played a role in this. One of the major advantages that the Europeans’ had was their technological advancements. They were usually the first people to acquire new items that were more advanced. One of these items was the Maxim gun. It was the worlds first automatic machine gun and it was created in 1884. As the Europeans’ got ahold of this new weapon, the Africans’ were forced to use the outdated weapons. The steam engine was another advancement that the Europeans’ had. It allowed them to travel on the rivers in order to create bases of control in Africa. They did this because they wanted to take control over their empire. Steam engines weren't the only thing helping people communicate with close nations. Railroads, cables, and steamships all allowed the nations to talk with each other. There was a major problem as time went on. Malaria started to take over Africa. Malaria is a disease that is carried by swarms of mosquitoes. The problem kept the Europeans’ on the coast and prevented them from going too deep into Africa. Of course there was another factor that allowed them to travel into Africa. That was the perfection of the drug quinine in 1824. The factors in Africa made it easier for the Europeans’ to colonize it. Africa had such a diverse community that it made it hard for them to unite. All the different languages and cultures were the problem. The Europeans’ learned to play rivals groups against each other for their benefit. These ethnic groups fought wars which were caused by control over land, water, and trade rights. Since the groups already disliked each other then why not create more tension between them in order to help yourself? That's exactly what the Europeans’ did and it was a very good idea. These were just a couple of factors that played a role to imperialism in Africa.

Europeans had a large impact on Africa that left a lasting adverse effect. The things that they did have had a detrimental effect on current African life. They changed many things while living there. Some of the changes were favorable and others were not. A large amount of things that had been done were life changing for the Africans and the Europeans. Life for Africans became something they never could have imagined. Life for Europeans became very high class. Everything was different for everyone in the end. The effects of it were not the same for any two people. Overall, Europeans left a negative impact on Africa.

This rule was created as a policy of control; to obtain control over other countries for exploitation of their economic resources. In other words, a wealthy and powerful country takes over a weaker country for their resources. There are many reasons for the European’s interest in Africa but only three stand out. According to Colonialism and the African Experience written by Vincent Khapoya, there are three reasons for European interest in Africa. The first being the need to gather scientific knowledge about the unknown, meaning they wanted to know about Africa also known as “The Dark Continent” (Khapoya 101). The second reason was for European ethnocentrism factors of Christianity, and since Africa followed their own traditional religion beliefs, Europeans felt they needed to convert all Africans to Christianity (Khapoya 101). The third reason was based from imperialism and the desire for European countries to contribute to their countries’ grandeur by taking control over other countries (Khapoya 101-102). The Colonial Rule caused many issues for Africa like; expropriation on land, exploitation of labor, lack of industrialization, etc. British colonist colonialized for one reason and that was to accomplish the colonial goals of the rule (Abana

On the other hand, the other side of this argument would probably say that the Europeans influenced the economy for the better. They helped the country move forward technologically, set up an education system for the Africans, and unified and strengthened the nation by building the railroad that went through the country, gaining more trade and money. Although they did move forward technologically and set up an education system, I strongly argue against that they unified and strengthened the nation. It seems as though they did completely the opposite by King Leopold II’s affects.

Through the19th century to the start of the 20th century, Africa was at the mercy of Europe imperialism. Politics and economics led powerful European nations to colonize the continent of Africa. What was later coined as “The Scramble for Africa”, led powerful nations to aggressively take over the continent and exploit its materials, people, and land. The European powers that took control of most of Africa included Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The continent was divided and given to these European countries in 1884 through the Berlin Conference. The brutal rule by imperial command created a continent that still to this day deals with the lasting presence of the European takeover. Although not all effects of imperialism were bad or malicious, many were leaving an image of the era as psychologically damaging to Africans as well as to the land in general. Whether the effects of colonization left the continent in better or worse shape than it would have been without European imperialism, the colonization of Africa is a part of history that will remain infamous so long as it is remembered

Africa has been in the clutches of colonialism since the 19th century. There has been so much tremor and chaos in that part of the world that it is unbelievable. Africa has been in the worst conditions for many years due to the powerful domination of west. Due to colonization the Africans lost their identity, they lost their history, their cultural heritage and traditions. Africa has a history but now its history is marks by the dark scars of colonization only. The westerners came to Africa in order to educate them and guide them because to the British the Africans seemed primitive and illogical. They felt that it was the white man’s burden to make these Africans civilized. So gradually they started building missionaries in different places and started giving Christian teachings in order to make Africans lose their religion. The west treated the Africans with so much inferiority and in this process their own mindset was exposed, that how dark and shallow they are in real. It is the west who is uncivilized, who has turned Africans into slaves and burned them alive because of the color of their skin. They felt superiority for being white and treated the black as inferior, as devils and bad omens. (Turner, 1975)