The Main Reasons For The Colonization Of Africa

The imperatives of capitalist industrialization, including the call for guaranteed sources of raw materials, especially copper, cotton, rubber, tea, and tin (European consumers had become accustomed to, and thus depended on these resources), and the search for guaranteed markets and profitable investment outlets, which territories like the gold and diamond-rich Egypt and South Africa provided, caused the European conquest for Africa. Therefore the primary reason for European colonization in Africa was

Splash! The water rocked the boat back and forth. That was the third boat that was on its way to Africa since the Europeans have colonized the continent. That boat would soon be filled with many African people taken as slaves and some of Africa’s natural resources as well. There are many reasons why Europeans colonized Africa. There were some reasons for this like Europeans wanted slaves and they also had economic reasons for colonizing Africa too. However, these also caused many different problems in Africa like, many African people were mistreated and this also caused the population in Africa to decrease. This also affected Africa because Europeans used too many of Africa’s resources, causing anyone who still lived in Africa without many raw materials to use.

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.

In the 19th century, Europe’s materials were beginning to run low. They first noticed the the opportunities for free labor in the form of slaves (until the slave trade was abolished in 1807), and then the huge number of resources that Africa had. After those discoveries, Europeans wanted to try and colonize, or takeover Africa. For a long time, Europeans were kept out of Africa due to their strong armies, unknown rivers, and different diseases. However, at a certain point Europeans were able to finally break down the barriers when they had taken enough able-bodied men from Africa, invented new technologies such as a steamboat, and found cures to different diseases that had heavily hurt Europeans in the past.

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 printing press allowed for stories of fortune in colonies to travel back to the mother country, luring citizens to come explore also. Advancements in weaponry and sailing allowed for easier journeys and quicker confrontations with the Indians. The factor that played a hefty role in colonization only to technology was religion. Christianity served as justification for colonization and intrigued missionaries to colonize new lands. To ignorant Europeans, colonization was simply helping Indians and spreading religion. This brought more people and wealth to the colonies in support for Christianity. The third reason that Europeans were able to colonize so rapidly and efficiently was the desire for national glory. Competition has driven people and countries to obtain new lands and resources before the others. Once one country created a colony, the race for land was on between European powerhouses. Technology, religion, and the quest for national glory were the three main reasons why Europeans were able to conquer so much land in such a short period of

There are several reasons for colonizing a country. In this case, the main reason was trade. Europeans couldn’t find a great amount of sources in Europe so, they were exploring the world trying to find sources that they didn’t have in their countries (The Story of India). The Europeans had multitude fights because, each country wanted to get wealthier than the other, therefore,

European colonization of the New World began during the European age of exploration and following the discovery of resources in the New World. The various motives of the Spanish, British, and French imperialists were reflected in the political, economic, and social changes that occurred in the areas each government claimed. These changes are very distinctive and led to drastic changes in their respective areas.

There were various justifications given by the colonists for the colonization of the Americas. One of them was the economic gain. The colonists would found the colonies to make money. This could be seen through the Spanish Colonization as they would first look for gold and jewels and then destroy the agriculture locally, so they can plant large fields of sugar cane as it was a very expensive luxury in the Europe. By following the practice, Spain became the richest country in the world. Furthermore, the British colony in the North America named Jamestown, was settled purely because the inhabitants wished to find gold and treasure and not work. Thus, they simply wished to make the economic gain. Then, South Carolina was also discovered for business

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

Why would anyone want to go through the trouble of colonizing? The English had such motives that compelled them to leave their motherland. It was for the reasons of seeking freedom, seeing there was nothing in Britain for them, and success accessed by other nations.

Strong economic motives for colonization included both the availability of raw materials and opening up new markets. Countries needed cheap raw materials including rubber, timber and oil. The newly colonized parts of Southeast Asia were also places where European countries could sell

Already colonizing the New World, they wanted more land to show off so turning their eyes to Africa seem to be the best choice. Mostly Britain, could really utilize the resources given by Africa, most other countries just wanted land. Two prime examples are France and Germany who even though don’t benefit economically from the land, only wanted to have prestige to show they were powerful in some way by simply wanting the area. Another motivator was the idea of White Man’s Burden, defined as the,’ alleged duty for white colonizers to care for their nonwhite indigenous subjects.’ Even though with great intentions, it was a racist way to justify imperialism in Africa and other parts of the world.

What aspects do you think motivated Europe imperialism in Africa? Between 1500-1800, Europe traded along the west coast of Africa, but they were not able to reach the interior due to all the diseases they could catch. In the 1800s, European explorers had a cure for diseases and were prepared to push their way into the interior of the continent. By the 1880s, European nations competed with one another for control over Africa. With this being said, what do you think motivated Europe to imperialize in Africa? Many things contributed to the driving force behind European imperialism, such as politics, economics, and cultural attitudes.

If prompted with the question what is colonization and or how did Europe and America colonize different countries and peoples the answer might be as simple as: it was the process of taking land from other countries and pushing to change the peoples of those countries towards western ways. This answer is to simple, a lot of people do not know the motives behind colonizing another country. Even though the motives behind colonizing another country depend on the time and location of the colonizing, Europe and America have always set above every other country around the world. They title themselves as being superior to all others. Thus, a lot of countries bought into the western ways and believe Westerners to be “demigod”. In Michael Adas essay, Contested Hegemony: The Great War and the Afro-Asian Assault on the Civilizing-Mission, even though the focus is on the ups and downs of colonization in Asia and Africa. The essay looks at the motives behind colonizing these peoples, why some bought into the idea and how World War One changed everything for Europe, Asia and Africa in terms of colonization.