Transcript Slide 1

The New
Imperialism &
The Scramble
For Africa
The “New” Imperialism
• The late 1800s marked
an aggressive new era
of European expansion
into Africa, Asia, and
the Pacific
• Causes:
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Economics
Politics
Humanitarianism
Social Darwinism
Why Was Europe Interested
in Colonization?
Economic Causes
• European nations
needed new sources of
natural resources to
fuel industrial growth
• European businesses
needed new markets in
which to sell
manufactured goods
due to overproduction
Political Causes
• European nations needed
new naval and military
bases around the world
from which to protect
their economic interests
• In order to maintain
Europe’s “balance of
power,” if one country
began colonizing in Africa
or Asia, then all of the
others had to do so as
well, or risk losing power
Humanitarian Causes
• Many Europeans felt
they had a duty to help
spread Christianity to
non-Christian areas
• Others believed that
they had a duty to
provide Western
advances (esp. medical
care and education) to
“disadvantaged” areas
Social Darwinism Causes
• A sense of racial
superiority was growing
amongst white Europeans
(the idea that whites are
somehow “more fit” than
non-whites)
• Europeans felt that they
carried “The White Man’s
Burden,” or the
responsibility to govern
non-whites who could not
properly govern
themselves
Why Were Europeans
Able to Colonize?
Weakening Asian Empires
• The Ottoman Empire,
which had dominated
North Africa and the
Middle East
• The Mughal Empire,
which had controlled
most of India
• The Qing Empire, which
had ruled China and
Southeast Asia
• All were in simultaneous
decline, opening the door
to European expansion
Depopulation of Africa
• Over 300 years of
exporting African slaves
to the Americas had left
the African continent was
a seriously reduced
population
• Additionally, the slave
trade had pitted the
African nations against
each other, leaving them
in a weakened state
European Industrialization
• Medical advances now
protected Europeans
from African and Asian
tropical diseases
• Military advances, such
as machine guns,
repeating rifles, and
steam-powered
warships gave European
armies a huge
advantage
What Forms Did European
Colonization Take?
Colonies
• Direct rule of a territory
by a foreign governor
who is supported by
military force
• In colonies, locals get
little or no say in how
they are governed
• Example: nearly all of
Africa was made into
colonies in the late
1800s
Protectorates
• Traditional local rulers are
left in place, but they take
their orders from a
foreign power
• In protectorates, locals
keep control over
domestic affairs, but have
no say in foreign policy
• Example: India was left
under the rule of the
rajahs, but they were
forced to answer to the
British crown
Spheres of Influence
• Locals remain politically
independent, but all trade is
controlled by a foreign
power
• In a sphere of influence,
locals still control their
government, but not the
economy
• Examples: Persia and China
would remain politically
independent, but would
become economically
dependent on Europeans
What Did Colonization
Look Like in Africa?
European Colonization
Africa Around 1840
Africa By 1914
Africa in Early 1800s
• GENERALLY tended to
be:
– Muslim (especially north
of the Equator, with the
notable exception of
Ethiopia)
– Strongly tribal in
structure, with tribal
loyalties being built
more around language
than around geography
Repatriated Slaves
• In 1787, Freetown
(Sierra Leone) was
established as a home
for freed slaves from
British colonies who
wanted to return to
Africa
• In 1822, the U.S. copied
the British example and
established Liberia to
serve the same purpose
European Exploration
• In search of adventure,
knowledge, and natural
resources, Europeans began
to venture into Africa’s
interior
• Explorers were soon
followed by Christian
missionaries, who built
isolated schools, churches,
and hospitals and began to
urge Africans to abandon
their “evil” and “heathen”
ways in favor of the more
“civilized” Western lifestyle
Mungo Park
• 1771 – 1806
• Explored the Niger River
• On his first expedition, he
traveled alone and mapped
the entire river
• On his second expedition,
he had a team of 46 men,
but they all died from
disease, accidents, or
hostile native tribes
Richard Francis Burton
• 1821 – 1890
• Spoke 29 languages fluently
• Traveled in Arabia, India, &
Africa, often learning more
by pretending to be a local
• “Discovered” Lake
Tanganyika and Lake
Victoria in East Africa
• First to translate The 1001
Arabian Nights & The Kama
Sutra into English
• First non-Muslim to go on
hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
Dr. David Livingstone
• 1813 – 1883
• Explorer/missionary
• “Discovered” Victoria
Falls
• First European to cross
Africa from the Atlantic
to the Indian Ocean
• Despite over twenty
years as a missionary in
Africa, Livingston
converted only one
African to Christianity
Belgium Starts the “Scramble”
• In the 1870s, Belgium’s King
Leopold sent emissaries to
establish trade with native
Africans in the Congo.
• Leopold used this trade
agreement to claim the
Congo as his personal
property and enslave the
local population
• Details of the atrocities
committed by the Belgians
against the natives caused a
scandal in Europe
The Berlin Conference (1884)
• European nations initially
met to discuss the Belgians’
occupation of the Congo
• Eventually, however, the
Conference set the ground
rules for any European state
wishing to set up colonies in
Africa, with the main
interest being in preventing
any fighting between
European nations over
African colonies
“The Scramble For Africa”
• Once the rules for
colonization were set, it
became a race to see which
nations could claim which
portions of Africa first
• Belgium, Britain, France,
Germany, Italy, Portugal,
and Spain carved up Africa
between them, leaving only
two independent African
states (Liberia and Ethiopia)
by the start of WWI
Ethiopia Escapes
• Liberia enjoyed protection from
the U.S., so no European states
attempted colonization
• Ethiopia avoided European
colonization by “Westernizing”
• Ethiopian emperor Menelik II
imported modern military
equipment and hired Westerners
to train his military
• He also hired Europeans to
modernize Ethiopia’s
transportation & education
systems
• All of this was easier for Ethiopia
because they already practiced a
Western religion - Christianity
Menelik II
• 1844 – 1913
• Emperor of Ethiopia
• Claimed descent from
King Solomon (from the
Bible) & The Queen of
Sheba
• In 1896, at the Battle of
Adowa, Menelik repelled
an Italian invasion aimed
at taking control of
Ethiopia as a colony
Battle of Adowa
Case Study:
South Africa
The Boers
• Dutch settlers established a
colony in South Africa in 1652
• Built Cape Town to serve as
the capital of this colony
• Enslaved many Africans to
work Dutch farms in South
Africa
• When the British took over
South Africa, many Boers
moved north to escape English
laws, bringing them into
conflict with the Zulu
• The Boers spent many years
warring with the Zulu during
the mid and late 1800s
The Zulu
• African tribal group that
migrated into South
Africa in 1500s
• Fierce warriors who
were highly regimented
and organized
• Greatest leader was
Shaka, who built a large
kingdom in the early
1800s
Zulu Wars
• Battles with the Boers
continued into the late
1800s, but never truly
threatened Zulu sovereignty.
• The Zulu also clashed with
the British, who had
expanded their control over
southern Africa
• The Zulu were eventually
defeated by the technology
and vast resources at the
command of the British
troops, but the Zulu tribe
remains a political force in
South Africa even today
Cecil Rhodes
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1853 – 1902
Businessman and politician who
was instrumental in assuring British
dominance of southern Africa.
Founded the De Beers Mining
Company, eventually controlling
90% of the world’s diamond
production.
After becoming prime minister of
the Cape Colony (now South Africa)
in 1890, he used his influence to
strengthen British control over the
region.
A strong believer in Social
Darwinism, felt white Britons were
“the finest race in the world”
Cape to Cairo Railway
• Cecil Rhodes’s master plan was to
create a railroad line that would
link British colonial interests in
Africa from Egypt in the north to
the Cape Colony in the south
• While much of the railway was
built, it was never fully
completed, due in large part to
opposition from rival European
powers and the Boers (who
fought two wars against the
British in Africa), and the expense
of building such a long rail line
across rugged terrain
• Had the line been completed, it
would have served as a major
economic stimulus, but would
also have tied Africa more closely
to the British
European Colonization
Africa Around 1840
Africa By 1914
Effects of Imperialism
• European nations carved Africa up with no
regard for traditional tribal boundaries.
• Modern African nations often contain
several different tribes that harbor ill
feelings towards one another.
• Africa still suffers from this “tribalism”
(feelings of loyalty to individual tribes),
which is the root cause of many civil wars
and genocide campaigns in modern Africa.
Modern Africa
Ethnic Map
Political Map