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What was the extent of European involvement in Africa before 1885? What role did the Berlin Conference play in the Scramble for Africa? What were the distinct methods Europeans employed to colonize Africa?

What was the extent of European involvement in Africa before 1885? What role did the Berlin Conference play in the Scramble for Africa? What were the distinct methods Europeans employed to colonize Africa?

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What was the extent of European involvement in Africa before 1885? What role did the Berlin Conference play in the Scramble for Africa? What were the distinct methods Europeans employed to colonize Africa?
New Imperialism: The European 'Scramble for Africa' Note - the term 'Scramble for Africa' was created by the British in 1884 and is frequently used in textbooks (like the excerpt you'll read below). As you read to learn about this time period, also question the term itself. Should historians call this time period the Scramble for Africa? Should modern historians call it something else? The most striking outburst of imperialism took place in Africa. As late as 1875 European peoples maintained a limited presence in Africa. They held several small coastal colonies and fortified trading posts, but their only sizable possessions were the Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique, the French settler colony in northern Algeria, and a cluster of settler colonies populated by British and Dutch migrants in south Africa - almost all of these limited to the coast of Cha me G DIAN OCEAN ALANTIC OCEAN ANGA Africa. After the end of the slave trade, a lively commerce developed around the exchange of African gold, ivory, and palm oil for European textiles, guns, and manufactured goods. This trade brought considerable prosperity and economic opportunity, especially to west African lands. re es Tensions between those European powers who were seeking African colonies led to the Berlin Conference (1884-1885), during which the delegates of twelve European states as well as the United States and the Ottoman empire-not a single African was present-developed the ground rules for the colonization of Africa. The Berlin Conference produced agreement for future claims on African lands: each colonial power had to notify the others of its claims, and each claim had to be followed up by "effective occupation" of the claimed territory. Occupation was commonly accomplished either by getting a signed agreement from a local African ruler or by military conquest. This conference thus began the Scramble for Africa, the invasion, occupation, division, and colonization of African territory by European powers. Superior technology and improved medical knowledge helped to foster imperialism. The development of the medicine quinine (that protected against deadly malaria in tropical Copyright Achievement First. Unless otherwise noted, all of the content in this resource is licensed under a Creative Commons icense regions) enabled Europeans to venture into the mosquito-infested interiors of Africa and Asia. The combination of the steamboat and the telegraph enabled the Western powers to increase their mobility and to quickly respond to any situations Figure 2- rapid fire machine that threatened their dominance. The rapid-fire machine gun gun (1800s) also gave Europeans a military advantage against Africans and Asians who opposed European aggression. The earliest approach to colonial rule involved "concessionary companies." European governments typically granted private companies large pieces of territory and encouraged them to undertake economic activities such as mining, plantation agriculture, or railroad construction. Concessionary companies also had permission to implement systems of taxation and labor recruitment. Although that approach allowed European governments to colonize and exploit immense territories with only a limited investment in money and people (since the company assumed the bulk of the work), company rule also led to major issues. The brutal use of forced labor, which provoked a public outcry in Europe, and profits smaller than anticipated persuaded most European governments by the early 20 century to reduce the powers of private companies and to establish their own rule, which took the form of either direct rule or indirect rule. Under direct rule, colonies had administrations headed by European personnel who assumed responsibility for tax collection, labor and military recruitment, and the maintenance of law and order. Administrative boundaries intentionally cut across existing African political and ethnic boundaries to divide and weaken potentially powerful indigenous groups. Direct rule aimed at removing strong kings and other leaders and replacing them with people loyal to the mother country. Underlying the principle of direct rule was the desire to keep African populations in check and to permit European administrators to engage in a "civilizing mission." However, that approach to colonial rule presented its own difficulties. Key among them was the constant shortage of European personnel. For example, in French West Africa some thirty-six hundred Europeans tried to rule over an African population of more than nine million. The combination of long distances and slow transport limited effective communication between regional authorities and Europe. An inability to speak local languages and a limited understanding of local customs among European officials further undermined their effective administration. The British employed indirect rule in many of their African colonies. They believed that there were moral and financial advantages of exercising control over subject populations through indigenous (local) institutions. This meant that British officials would rule African colonies through local leaders. Forms of indirect rule worked in regions where Africans had already established strong and highly organized states, but elsewhere erroneous assumptions concerning the "tribal" nature of African societies weakened the effectiveness of indirect rule. Perplexed by the complexities of African societies, colonial officials frequently imposed their own ideas of what constituted "tribal boundaries" or "tribal authorities." The invention of rigid tribal categories and the establishment of artificial tribal boundaries became one of the greatest obstacles to nation building and regional stability in much of Africa during the second half of the twentieth century.
Transcribed Image Text:New Imperialism: The European 'Scramble for Africa' Note - the term 'Scramble for Africa' was created by the British in 1884 and is frequently used in textbooks (like the excerpt you'll read below). As you read to learn about this time period, also question the term itself. Should historians call this time period the Scramble for Africa? Should modern historians call it something else? The most striking outburst of imperialism took place in Africa. As late as 1875 European peoples maintained a limited presence in Africa. They held several small coastal colonies and fortified trading posts, but their only sizable possessions were the Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique, the French settler colony in northern Algeria, and a cluster of settler colonies populated by British and Dutch migrants in south Africa - almost all of these limited to the coast of Cha me G DIAN OCEAN ALANTIC OCEAN ANGA Africa. After the end of the slave trade, a lively commerce developed around the exchange of African gold, ivory, and palm oil for European textiles, guns, and manufactured goods. This trade brought considerable prosperity and economic opportunity, especially to west African lands. re es Tensions between those European powers who were seeking African colonies led to the Berlin Conference (1884-1885), during which the delegates of twelve European states as well as the United States and the Ottoman empire-not a single African was present-developed the ground rules for the colonization of Africa. The Berlin Conference produced agreement for future claims on African lands: each colonial power had to notify the others of its claims, and each claim had to be followed up by "effective occupation" of the claimed territory. Occupation was commonly accomplished either by getting a signed agreement from a local African ruler or by military conquest. This conference thus began the Scramble for Africa, the invasion, occupation, division, and colonization of African territory by European powers. Superior technology and improved medical knowledge helped to foster imperialism. The development of the medicine quinine (that protected against deadly malaria in tropical Copyright Achievement First. Unless otherwise noted, all of the content in this resource is licensed under a Creative Commons icense regions) enabled Europeans to venture into the mosquito-infested interiors of Africa and Asia. The combination of the steamboat and the telegraph enabled the Western powers to increase their mobility and to quickly respond to any situations Figure 2- rapid fire machine that threatened their dominance. The rapid-fire machine gun gun (1800s) also gave Europeans a military advantage against Africans and Asians who opposed European aggression. The earliest approach to colonial rule involved "concessionary companies." European governments typically granted private companies large pieces of territory and encouraged them to undertake economic activities such as mining, plantation agriculture, or railroad construction. Concessionary companies also had permission to implement systems of taxation and labor recruitment. Although that approach allowed European governments to colonize and exploit immense territories with only a limited investment in money and people (since the company assumed the bulk of the work), company rule also led to major issues. The brutal use of forced labor, which provoked a public outcry in Europe, and profits smaller than anticipated persuaded most European governments by the early 20 century to reduce the powers of private companies and to establish their own rule, which took the form of either direct rule or indirect rule. Under direct rule, colonies had administrations headed by European personnel who assumed responsibility for tax collection, labor and military recruitment, and the maintenance of law and order. Administrative boundaries intentionally cut across existing African political and ethnic boundaries to divide and weaken potentially powerful indigenous groups. Direct rule aimed at removing strong kings and other leaders and replacing them with people loyal to the mother country. Underlying the principle of direct rule was the desire to keep African populations in check and to permit European administrators to engage in a "civilizing mission." However, that approach to colonial rule presented its own difficulties. Key among them was the constant shortage of European personnel. For example, in French West Africa some thirty-six hundred Europeans tried to rule over an African population of more than nine million. The combination of long distances and slow transport limited effective communication between regional authorities and Europe. An inability to speak local languages and a limited understanding of local customs among European officials further undermined their effective administration. The British employed indirect rule in many of their African colonies. They believed that there were moral and financial advantages of exercising control over subject populations through indigenous (local) institutions. This meant that British officials would rule African colonies through local leaders. Forms of indirect rule worked in regions where Africans had already established strong and highly organized states, but elsewhere erroneous assumptions concerning the "tribal" nature of African societies weakened the effectiveness of indirect rule. Perplexed by the complexities of African societies, colonial officials frequently imposed their own ideas of what constituted "tribal boundaries" or "tribal authorities." The invention of rigid tribal categories and the establishment of artificial tribal boundaries became one of the greatest obstacles to nation building and regional stability in much of Africa during the second half of the twentieth century.
Local government officials were used Limited self-rule Goal: to develop future leaders Government institutions are based on European styles but may have local rules Foreign officials brought in to rule No self-rule Goal: assimilation Government institutions are based only on European styles Examples: Examples: British colonies: Nigeria and India U.S. colonies: Philippines French colonies: Somaliland, Vietnam Portuguese colonies: Angola Between 1878 and 1914, European powers divided up the entire African continent except for the independent countries of Ethiopia and Liberia. Liberia was settled by free slaves from the United States and became an independent republic in 1847. Ethiopia, which was already independent, routed an Italian invasion in 1896. Defeating the Italians assured that the country would stay independent.
Transcribed Image Text:Local government officials were used Limited self-rule Goal: to develop future leaders Government institutions are based on European styles but may have local rules Foreign officials brought in to rule No self-rule Goal: assimilation Government institutions are based only on European styles Examples: Examples: British colonies: Nigeria and India U.S. colonies: Philippines French colonies: Somaliland, Vietnam Portuguese colonies: Angola Between 1878 and 1914, European powers divided up the entire African continent except for the independent countries of Ethiopia and Liberia. Liberia was settled by free slaves from the United States and became an independent republic in 1847. Ethiopia, which was already independent, routed an Italian invasion in 1896. Defeating the Italians assured that the country would stay independent.
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