. What might explain the “scramble for Africa” 1884-1896. European states claimed African territories because they were profitable. Nationalism demanded that foreign peoples be convinced to be British, German, or French, so they recruited new citizens. claiming African territories functioned as a “safety valve,” reducing tensions in Europe. Collective insanity. Nationalism justified it, and hopes for imperial grandeur obscured the fact that African colonies were, for the most part, money pits that increased international friction in Europe.

. What might explain the “scramble for Africa” 1884-1896. European states claimed African territories because they were profitable. Nationalism demanded that foreign peoples be convinced to be British, German, or French, so they recruited new citizens. claiming African territories functioned as a “safety valve,” reducing tensions in Europe. Collective insanity. Nationalism justified it, and hopes for imperial grandeur obscured the fact that African colonies were, for the most part, money pits that increased international friction in Europe.