Download Africa: Control and Resistance

Please get out your
Averting War Reading
Averting War
• You have the First 10 minutes of class to read the
continue working on the document.
• Read the document and answer the
corresponding questions.
• To get full points, you must:
• Write in complete sentences
• Use evidence when you are asked to
• Highlight or underline the document (annotations)
Entry task:
• How do you think the native
Africans feel about European
Imperialism?
• How do you think they will
respond to the Berlin Conference
results?
African Resistance
African Resistance
• Throughout Africa, people resisted imperial
control
• Algeria resisted French rule for 50 years
• Samori Toure in West Africa fought the
French for 16 years
Maji Maji Rebellion
• Africans in German East Africa fought in
the Maji Maji rebellion
• 20 ethnic groups joined together
• Germans with machine guns killed 75,000
in battle
• Twice as many died in the famine that
followed
Ethiopia
• Menelik II became emperor of
Ethiopia in 1889
• Played the Italians, French and
British against each other
• Said "Ethiopia has need of
no one; she stretches out
her hands unto God."
• Meanwhile, built a large
arsenal of modern weapons
Menelik II of Ethiopia
• Modernized Ethiopia
• Purchased weapons from
Russia
• 70,000 modern rifles and
sufficient boxes of
ammunition
• Prepared an impressive army
Italian Trickery
• Menelik II signed a treaty with Italy giving
them a small amount of land
• The Italians had changed their version of the
treaty
• They argued that all of Ethiopia was now
under their command
Italians Invade Ethiopia
• Italians advanced into Ethiopia
• Menelik vows to fight:
• "God, in his bounty, has struck down my enemies and enlarged
my empire and preserved me to this day. I have reigned by the
grace of God. As we must all die sometime, I will not be
afflicted if I die... Enemies have come who would ruin our
country and change our religion. They have passed beyond the
sea which God gave us as our frontier... These enemies have
advanced, burrowing into the country like moles. With God's
help I will get rid of them.”
• The siege at Makalle lasts 45 days.
• Menelik allows the Italians to retreat
• Italian government is shamed, sends reinforcements
Battle of Adowa - 1896
• Italians come back to fight in
the Battle of Adowa
• Menelik II defeated them
easily, keeping Ethiopia
independent
The other
“independent” state in
Africa…
Liberia
• Between 1821 and 1847, America
developed the colony ‘Liberia’
• To be a colony for freed slaves
• In 1847 declared itself an
independent nation
• But it was still essentially under
American control
Liberia
• 1847-1980, Liberia was governed by the small
group of African-American colonists and their
offspring - Americo-Liberians
• Many Americo-Liberians believed they were
superior because they were Christian
• They ruled over the large indigenous majority
of 95% of the Liberian population
The Americo-Liberians
• Kept their English-speaking, Americanized way of
life
• Built churches and houses resembling those of the
Southern U.S
• Never more than 5% of the population of Liberia
• Dominated by controlling:
• Access to the ocean
• Modern technical skills
• Literacy and higher levels of education
• Valuable relationships with American government
Effects of European
Imperialism on Africa
• Europeans established new borders in
Africa
• European exploit Africans and the land
• European powers scramble for colonies
• African resist imperialism
• Western-educated African elite emerge
• African leaders forge nationalist
movements
“The Coming of the Pink Cheeks”
• First source: Cecil Rhodes argument for
what English Imperialism and what
England’s duty is.
• Second source: Chief Kabongo explaining
the results of what happened to Africa and
its people during European Imperialism.