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African Imperialism
In the early 1800's Africa was still the dark continent (unknown land), By the end of the century, only
Liberia (a freed American slave nation) and Ethiopia remained free of European domination. The story of
African Imperialism was the race of the European nations to claim territory in the name of nationalism, power
and trade rights. The African continent was and is a continent of diverse peoples, with hundreds of languages
and various types of governments: The Northern part of Africa was controlled by the Islamic Ottoman empire,
the West was a series of small rival states who fought each other for political power, the East was remained a
series of small trading countries relying on the slave trade for income, and the South was battle ground between
the strong Zulu tribe vs the Dutch Boers (farmers). The Europeans were able to use the differences between the
African nations to play one side against another and eventually took control. By the 1800s, slavery was
diminishing as the western nations became more industrialized and slavery became both morally and
economically unwise.
In the early 1800's two groups of Europeans started to explore the interior of the continent. The first
were Explorers who sought after not only valuable metals, but other trade goods such as ivory. The second
group were Missionaries who wanted to convert Africans to Christianity. These missionaries built schools and
hospitals along the way. The most famous of these missionaries was David Livingstone who strongly opposed
the slave trade. He had been out of contact with Europeans for years until a New York Journalist named Henry
Stanley found him in 1871 and uttered Dr. Livingstone, I presume ?
Unknown to Livingstone, Stanley had another task, to explore the Congo River basin for King Leopold
II of Belgium. Beligum was only the first European nation to make a mad dash to claim as much territory as
possible: England, France, Italy, Germany all attempted to create colonies. In order to split up Africa as
peacefully as possible, the European powers met in Berlin in 1884 (The Berlin Conference). No African
representatives were present at the meeting.
France gained a large share of Africa, although they had to fight to conquer it. For example, it cost both
the French and the Algerians in Frances struggle to take Algeria in the 1830s. Britain had less territory, but it
was more populated and valuable. The British also controlled Egypt and most of Southern Africa. It was in
Southern Africa where the British had the most difficulty controlling the populations.
In 1806, Britain gained the Cape Colony from the Dutch. The Dutch farmers (Boers) disliked the British
government and moved north to isolate and rule themselves. In the 1890s, Europeans discovered both gold and
diamonds in the Boer areas, creating its own gold rush. The Boers fought against the intruders, which caused the
British government to step in. The Boer war lasted from 1899 to 1902, with the eventual defeat of the Boers.
Other African areas attempted to fight against the European industrialized might. The British fought not
only the Zulus in South Africa, but also the Asante in West Africa, and the Shona in Zimbabwe. The Germans
fought against the Yao and Herero peoples, who fought tremendously in the Maji-Maji rebellion of 1905. None
of these peoples though could compete against the modern weapons of Europe. The one exception was King
Menelik II of Ethiopia. He hired European engineers, teachers and soldiers to modernize his country. When Italy
attempted to invade his country he was prepared and successfully fought them back.
As African nations became more westernized. African leaders realized they needed to educate and unify
themselves in order to be more successful in their efforts. By the early 1900s the new educated middle class of
Africa was creating nationalist groups in order to pursue self-determination and eventually independence.
1. What were the two groups of Europeans who explored Africa ?
2. Which nation started the European land rush in the late 1800s ?
3. What was unfair about the Berlin Conference of 1884 ?
4. Why did the Boer War of the 1890s start, and who eventually won ?
5. How was Ethiopia able to fight off western invaders ?
6. Thinking question: Suppose you were an African representative at the Berlin Conference. What arguments
might you use to convince the Europeans to stop their invasions of Africa ?
7. Thinking questions: What if What if the African nations had become modernized like Ethiopia, how might
have history been changed ? What would the modern continent of Africa look like today ?