The Effects Of Colonialism In Africa

As the ships of European countries sailed into the coasts of Sub-Saharan Africa the inhabitants did not know that within a few hundred years their ways of living would be changed forever due to imperialism and the combining of cultures. For a period of time Europe believed Africa was backward in a sense of the way the country was being ran could never be successful. “Evidence from Social Darwinism proved that only the most able would survive so they believed using the ideas of “white superiority” and “civilizing missions” would only further develop Africa” (Falola). “Civilizing missions was the idea that the superior race had the right to

In the late 1800’s Europeans took over Africa, took their resources,enslaving the Africans, and changed the course of history. The Europeans took over Africa, which is called The Scramble For Africa, in 1884-1914. The Europeans took over because Africa was rich in raw materials, they wanted power, and they thought their culture was superior. The driving force behind imperialism was need for resources, political competition, and technological advances. One driving force behind imperialism was need for natural resources. Document E uses a bar graph to show imports and exports in 1854, and 1900 between Great Britain and South Saharan Africa. Great Britain made 3 million British pounds in 1854, and 21

The first chapter in Boahen’s book is titled “Eve of Colonial Conquest” and this section gives the readers a background of the colonialism in Africa through a look at the fundamental economic, political, and social changes that occurred just a few decades before colonialism took root. Boahen states that the trade of “natural products” is the most significant economic change in Africa by 1880. Just before the trading of “natural products” slave trades were abolished.

The European colonization of Africa, also known as the Scramble for Africa, Partition of Africa, or Conquest of Africa, occurred between the 1870s and 1900s, and was the invasion, occupation, colonization, and annexation of African territory by European powers during a period of New Imperialism. European control of the continent increased from 10 percent (1870) to 90 percent (1914), with only three territories, Saguia el-Hamra, which was later integrated into Spanish Sahara, Ethiopia and Liberia remaining independent of Europe’s control. There were many reasons for the European colonization of Africa, including economic and political motives, with the Berlin Conference serving as a catalyst. Africans resisted the European invasions of their lands, with the two main methods of opposition were guerilla warfare and direct military engagement. European influence on Africa still remains today, though these influences are generally negative and hurt Africa’s overall development.

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.

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

To further evaluate Europe and Africa one could look at the economic consequences of European colonialism in Africa. There are several consequences to this subject. The two that seem the most important was the transformation of individual colonies into export-oriented

Africa had many resources that could not be found or grown in Europe. By colonizing these territories, Europeans had control over these resources and could use them to improve the European economy. Document D shows a list of resources exported from Africa and what these materials were used for. For example, in the French colony of French West Africa, oils, cotton, peanuts, bananas, coffee, and cocoa were all resources that were exported to France. The various items can be used for soap, candles, fabrics, and food. France was able to transport these items from Africa at a very cheap price, but they could also sell these items for more. This system allowed for more money to go to the government which greatly improved the economy. Also, European countries hoped to colonize Africa for the possibility of creating new markets. European countries controlled the trade in and out of the majority of African countries, which meant that Europeans often introduced mercantilism into the African countries. However, “Mercantilism… forced the colonies into a dependent relationship in which they were economically weaker than the ‘mother country.’" (ABC-CLIO). After colonizing, European countries had complete control over the economies of African people, and the African economies were ruined in a way that made it almost impossible for them to break away from the Europeans. Consequently, Europeans were able to use African colonies to improve their own economies and ruin the African

As previously mentioned, there were independent or free states in Africa during European occupation. One of these free states was Ethiopia. Although Ethiopia was economically and socially free, it rightfully still disagreed with the injustice that occurred in Africa (Document 2). Moreover and more specifically into the injustice that occurred, slave ships embodied this very damage to Africa and its people. Through this European network of trade, they were prospering.

European imperialism in Africa was lead because of Africa’s raw materials and exportations and importations of the raw materials from Great Britain. Various African colonies, such as Angola, Congo-Free State, French West Africa, Rhodesia, South Africa, and Tanganyika contains useful resources, such as “palm oil” and “cotton” that are obtained for the manufacturing of “food products”, hygiene products, and textile. (Document D) Trevor Owen Lloyd demonstrates graph of the importations and exportations of the resources from south of the Sahara in Africa from Great Britain. And the increase in demand of the resources from “1854 to 1900”. (Document E) The raw materials and it’s importations and exportations of Africa has driven to European imperialism by creating connections from Europe to Africa, cause a more strategic way of recognizing Africa’s geography for colonization.

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

Economic and financial concerns have a clear link to Britain’s relationship with her African empire over the period 1870-1980. During different time frames within the period; expansion, colonisation and decolonisation economic and finance hold different amounts of weight due to events which mark turning points in the relationship e.g. World Wars. Strategic and cultural are also clear concerns which effect the relation which I will evaluate.

British Imperialism is a monstrous, militarized, and advanced system of oppression. British imperialism in Africa destroyed indigenous peoples lives and land. Once the slave trade became illegal, Britain's economy was in shambles. Therefore, Britain's imperialists went to Africa seeking wealth from its raw materials. The British was able to overthrow an already weakened governments, and put in place settler colonies. They installed authoritarian governments and exploited Africans by forcing them to do strenuous labor for Britain's profit. British imperialism in Africa is important today because it provides an answer as to why an entire continent is suffering for mass poverty, famine , and underdevelopment.

Many different races once considered Africa, as a continent that could not support itself since Africans were savages who were not able to prosper on their own. Because of this, life was not easy for Africans and their way of living was very mediocre. Africans’ weakness eventually became evident to the other nations of the world. The European system for instance, fortunately for them, decided to take control of Africa. This was a decision that benefited them financially as they exploited the richness that Africa enfolded. Although many Europeans believed that Africans were much more inferior to them because of their skin color, they knew the significance of the richness that Africa’s soil could give them. It is true that the European’s

In this class we have read about and discussed the numerous misconceptions about African and European interactions between the 15th and 19th century focusing primarily on the trade and commercial aspect of their relationships. Examining how the theories of Europe’s domination and Africa’s role of willing victim create a damaging and negatively skewed portrayal of the past. Upon studying travel guides and other primary sources John Thornton has presented a more accurate depiction of Africa’s agency in the Atlantic trade system, a picture that was made clearer with the help of a document from Peter Mancall’s collection of primary sources the assists in solidifying this accurate description. What about Mancall’s document allows it to verify all