Transcript Why were the Europeans in Africa.ppt

Why were the
Europeans in
Africa?
SS7H1
SS7H1 The student will analyze continuity and
change in Africa leading to the 21st century.
a. Explain how the European partitioning across
Africa contributed to conflict, civil war, and
artificial political boundaries.
• SS7H1 links back to 6th grade standards, SS6H6
and SS6H7.
• These 2 standards provide background on the
European presence in Africa. This standard will
help you understand how and why Europe came
to divide Africa.
Why were the Europeans in Africa?
• Europe was present in Africa first because
of its proximity to Africa (especially
northern Africa) as people traded all
around the Mediterranean Sea.
Who explored Africa?
• Prince Henry of Portugal was the first
European to really explore Africa (he
sponsored the trips at least) as his ships
made many trips along the western coast
of Africa.
• As a result of this, Portugal was the first
European country to acquire slaves from
Africa to use in the New World colonies.
What were they looking for?
• Other European countries explored and
colonized Africa for the same reasons they
colonized North and South America...they
were looking for natural resources and
wealth.
Why did the Europeans want to
colonize or explore other
countries?
• They colonized N. & S. America because
they were quickly running out of resources
in Europe as a result of the Industrial
Revolution.
Trade in Human Beings
• Once the American colonies were
established, the demand for slaves
increased dramatically.
• Needed cheap labor (free) to work on
colonial plantation systems, which
produced lucrative goods.
• Slavery on a MASSIVE scale
What is the Industrial
Revolution?
• The Industrial Revolution was a period in the
late 18th and early 19th centuries when major
changes in agriculture, manufacturing,
production, and transportation had a profound
effect on the socioeconomic and cultural
conditions in Britain.
• This changed the way things were
done….people were no longer doing things the
“old way”.
• It involved the invention of machines, power and
railways.
• People moved from rural areas to urban areas
So…what happened to the
countries they colonized?
• Once most of the American colonies won
their independence and gave the founding
countries the boot, the founding countries
still needed those resources.
What was left?
• Africa was pretty much the only mostly
uncolonized continent at the time, so the
European countries moved in. Problem
was, they were constantly bumping into
each other as they claimed land and
resources, and of course, this increased
tension between these countries and will
be at least an indirect cause of WWI.
Motives for Colonization of Africa
• God, Glory, and Gold
(The 3 G’s)
Beginnings of New Imperialism
• End of 19th century
called New
Imperialism
(countries competing
for land and power)
• Growth of European
colonies is called the
Scramble for Africa.
Competition for Africa: The Berlin
Conference
• Each European nation
wanted the biggest and
richest colonies
• To avoid wars over
territories, US and
European leaders met in
Berlin in 1884. They
decided how to divide
Africa – no Africans
consulted.
• Going into the meeting,
only 10% of Africa was in
Europe’s hands.
Europeans owned most
by end of conference.
European Colonization of Africa
Impact of Colonial Rule
• Africans had no
control over their
own countries.
• Wars, riots, protest
were common.
• Starvation and
disease occurred
• Africans forced into
labor
• New borders were
drawn separating
families and tribes