European Imperialism: The Scramble Of Africa

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.

The Europeans colonized colonized many parts of the world but the most colonized was the continent Africa. The European explorers started imperializing Africa after exploring into the interior of Africa and finding the resources that African countries had. What is imperialism? Imperialism is the policy of taking control of another country. There were three main reasons for European imperialism in Africa: Political reasons, technology, and economic reasons.

Africa has had a long and tumultuous road of colonization and decolonization the rush to colonize Africa started in the 17th century with the discovery of the vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and rubber with colonization hitting a fever pitch during World War I. However, the repercussions of colonization have left deep wounds that still remain unhealed in the 21st century. Early on, European nations such as Britain, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium scrambled for territories. Countries wanted land so they could harvest the resources, increase trade, and gain power. The European colonization of Africa brought racism, civil unrest, and insatiable greed; all of which have had lasting impacts on Africa.

Germany’s lead on Imperialism and the scramble of Africa began during the late 1880’s. Countries were able to take advantage of Africa, mainly because of their beneficial tributes (1). Specifically, in 1885 Germany colonized the region of the African Great Lakes, which is now known to be Tanzania. Today, Tanzania largest religion group, according to the Association of Religious Data Archives are "Christian (54.76%) and Muslim (31.62%)” (2). This shows how the first movement of colonization and imperialism left a mark as now the largest religious group in Tanzania is Christianity, adapted from the Germans. The Christian popularity is mainly composed of Roman Catholics and Protestants. All of these groups, have had some influence in varying

For centuries, European nations had been trading slaves, gold, ivory, and more with the west coast of Africa. Throughout the early 1800s, Europeans barely knew anything about the rest of the country of Africa. This quickly changed as Europe grew a sudden interest in exploring the rest of the country and taking advantage of their many valuable resources. Many wonder what motivated Europeans to Imperialize Africa, or extend their country’s power throughout Africa. The driving forces behind European Imperialism in Africa were the strive for ultimate power in Africa between competing countries, the need for money and technological advancements in European civilizations, and the constant attempt for Europeans to spread their cultures throughout

When the Europeans scrambled to colonize Africa, the reactions of the natives was progressively more apprehensive. At first the natives found that they could be peaceful with this strange new white man. Soon after, though, they found that these new men mistreated and cheated them greatly, and had superior military technology. Given these new conditions of the relationship the Africans decided it was in their best interest to take up arms against the Europeans and try to rid themselves of the harmful White Man.

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.

European Imperialism heavily impacted the African continent through culturally, economic, and political ideas. This era of history is heavily drenched in the aspect of ethnocentrism, which is the belief that one’s own culture is superior that of another. The Europeans colonized Africa believing that they could bring civilization, but they were often ignorant of Africa’s very complex societies. The European powers divided up the continent of Africa among themselves, without any consent from the people who actually lived there. The tribal stratification was changed to a caste system where racial, ethnic, and religious differences were of utmost importance, as delegated by European rule. The structure and business of the African economy was

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

Colonialism occurs when one nation takes control over a group of people or certain territories. During the Berlin Conference in 1885, the European countries divided Sub-Saharan Africa into regions that they would control. These countries included Belgian, Italy, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, and France. Most of Africa was divided and controlled by the European powers. The only independent countries at this time were Ethiopia and Liberia. These new boundaries caused many problems for the African people, as they were separated from their families, placed with hostile groups, and taken away from their groups in society. In conclusion, the colonization of Africa had many negative effects on the African people.

“By the late nineteenth century, Europe was engaged in “the scramble for Africa,” a competitive effort to colonize the continent and gain control of its natural resources. In 1884, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck convened a conference in Berlin where European diplomats divided Africa among themselves. No African representatives were present. By 1900, almost all of Africa was under European control. The colonial powers

Before the 18,00’s not much was known about Africa due to the many diseases and land boundaries that prevented exploration. This was all changed however when a man named David Livingstone opened the eyes of all Europeans. With this newfound knowledge many countries were coming to Africa mostly due to economical reasons. This is because many countries saw Africa as a wonderful place for trade and to gain resources. The Jungles in Africa offered rare wood and rubber. Africa also hosted wonderful for trading. With all these resources Europeans would be able to build their economical empire and have more power in general. The economical resources Africa Held is why many European countries started their bid for land in Africa.

European colonialism is often depicted as a force of greed that exploited the African people for financial gain; however, some have also argued that colonialism served a moral purpose and was mutually beneficial for both parties. During the colonialism of the Europeans, mostly the French, Germans, Italians, Portuguese, Africa faced many of different crisis, from civil wars, religious conflicts to government instability due to numerous coups d’état. With a country facing many challenges and conflicts: Was the Europeans more of a force of greed and exploitation? Or did the Europeans also served as a moral purpose for the African nation? With Africa exposed to racism and exploitation, political

The 15th century was the start of European colonization of the Americas and it was not until the 19th century when Africa became colonized. Colonies have provided human resources and natural resources in order for the European colonizers to benefit from (Doyle-Wood, 2017). This exploitation of labor and resources creates the dependent relationship for the colonies towards the colonial power. Not only were the colonies exploited and had a direct form of control over territories, but European ideologies and domination were spread through

africa came under the direct jurisdiction of Europe after the initial carving out of the continent referred to as the 'Scramble for Africa'. This partition was fulfilled at the Conference of Berlin 1884-85 resulting in the political mapping of the continent. Thus, Africa facilitated the extension of the European hegemonic powers overseas. This colonization rendered the African continent the play-toy of wealthy European imperialists who raked the profits from the resource-rich territories. The period between 1880 and 1919 saw an upsurge of African resistance to colonial rule this was the period of African nationalism. The Africans were now exasperated with their economic and social situation. Thus discontent and protest was bound to