The Expansion Of The British Empire In 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.

Resources,they carry a country financially.A big driving force for imperialism at the time was resources,and Africa just so happened to have an abundance of them.Ranging from diamonds to slave labour ,Africa was a gold mine in the eyes of the Europeans.Proof of this is the

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.

An important key for the imperialism in Africa was exploration. In document A there is a map of Africa that is divided up. In order to make this map the Europeans had to explore to make a map of Africa. The exploration was very important because it made it easier for European ships to sail to Africa and it made it possible to split Africa at the Berlin conference.

Q6. In my opinion, without the occurrence of the Industrial Revolution, conquering Africa would have been a much harder goal to achieve for the Europeans. The Industrial Revolution brought many new advancements for the Europeans, it gave them an edge over the Africans. I believe that if the Europeans had tried to take over Africa it would've been a much harder and longer process. Many different aspects would be changed without the Industrial Revolution.

Before European countries began to compete for Africa and its land, before there was a struggle against imperialism, there was the demand of more material goods for the European lifestyle. Since the demand increased, the rate of which countries had to produce the goods increased. Africa was the top supplier for cotton, rubber, and petroleum. Since European countries needed these items they needed to take control of africa, which means they would also get more power. Militaries were crucial to have power, if a country has a powerful military and a lot of land then they have more power.

This suggests that GB had stronger interest in Africa as she took take over countries surrounding Egypt to protect the canal from rivals that would hamper trade movement. Though this was a strategic concern it links heavily British economic concerns as the trade route was of commercial importance to Britain.

Assess the significance of the role of individuals in bringing about the expansion and dismantling of the British Empire in Africa in the period 1870-1981

However G.N. Sanderson has another view and suggests ‘the partition predated Britain’s Egyptian occupation’ the rivalry between European power’s account for a large part of the colonisation of Africa. This resulted in the occupation of African territory by Europeans powers, all determined to secure states within the continent to increase their stronghold in the world. This suggests that British expansion after this time was to secure stronghold in Africa and to also maintain their superiority. From the 1870s, the European balance of power had become less certain, particularly with the rise of United Germany. Historian AJP Taylor linked this process to ‘rise in aggressive European nationalism, which led directly to overseas expansionism in order to confirm international status amongst European states’. Therefore suggesting that strategic factors had a large part to play in the expansion of the British Empire in to Africa, also the expansion of other European nations, which triggered the ‘Scramble’ for Africa and also Britain at this time needed to maintain their status so expansion in this period was needed.

Essentially Britain made South Africa dependent on Britain for their economic and financial stability. The also laid the foundation for Apartheid which was the separation of races other than white in South Africa. Britain also made their other colonies dependent on them. Africa was very important to European countries due to it's natural resources coal, gold and other resources. Especially in the Congo which was a source of revenue for Belgium.

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

In the Chapter, “Sudanese Kingdoms of West Africa”, written by J.I. Dibua, goes over the rise and fall of empires and people in the West Africa region. We see the extent of which environmental factors contributed, impact of trade, and spread of Islam. All of which aided to the rise of power within the region, and the internal and external problems that would ultimately lead to their fall.

There are many factors that played an important role in the process of taking over Africa for various European countries. Between 1870-1890 European powers such as Great Britain, France, Germany,

Finally, the most important reason to British imperialism was their desire to advance economically. Their economy was primarily based on trade, and because colonies could be added as a form of imperial control, it only furthered and expanded trade. Because such countries as Germany and France began to rise to power, Britain was confronted with competition, so they felt that they had to take the African land first. The British feared that as the other countries began to become stronger and more stable, they would steal their markets, so that is how the scramble for Africa starts. As for the Suez Canal, it became extremely important for money making