The Scramble for Africa

1. The Partition of Africa, 1880-1891

   1. Prior to this period, little of Africa was ruled by Europeans

   2. European presence primarily in trading posts, small enclaves

   3. Interior largely free of Europeans - disease a major factor

   4. Coast and interior of Africa already tied to international capitalism by trade

      1. Palm oil, rubber, ivory, beeswax, gold from interior

      2. Slave trade has ended

      3. Extensive locally controlled trade networks

      4. Mediterranean and Indian Ocean Arab trade networks

   5. Africans leaders sought, had history of cooperating with Europeans for mutual benefit

   6. European influence had created European-trained clergymen, civil servants, teachers, journalists, doctors and lawyers

2. Ideologies and Justifications of Imperialism

   1. Legal Justifications

      1. Belief that it was legal to take unoccupied, sparsely occupied lands

      2. Ignores farmers, cattle raising nomads, and areas of dense population

   2. Civilization vs. Barbarism

      1. Depends on a racial view of superiority vs. Inferiority

      2. Based on pseudo-science of Social Darwinism

   3. Religious Justifications - need to evangelize

   4. Economic Justifications

      1. Colonies a source of profit, of raw materials and of markets

      2. Lenin saw Imperialism as stage of Capitalism

   5. Competition and Rivalry

      1.  Fueled, again, by industrial needs for markets, raw materials

      2. Also fueled by age-old rivalries and belief in Social Darwinism

      3. England sought to protect trade routes to India

3. Technology and Science make Imperialism more possible, necessary

   1. Quinine (1850s) enabled Europeans to combat malaria

   2. Steamship made regular travel possible, called for coaling stations

   3. Telegraph and railroad would also help to open up the interior

   4. Gatlin (machine) gun (1860s) gave Europeans an important military advantage 

4. Berlin Conference 1884-85

   1. Meant to minimize conflicts between colonial powers

   2. Laid out rules

      1. Establishment of trading rights, treaties with local rulers would give precedence

      2. In essence, first come, first served

      3. Europeans would recognize each others rights to territory

      4. Maps drawn up to show spheres of influence

      5. These maps had little to do with local ethnic and linguistic realities

      6. Under these rules, by 1905 all but Ethiopia and Liberia under European control

5. African Responses

   1. Many Europeanized and Christianized welcomed colonialism

   2. Local leaders generally resisted

   3. Africans generally resisted by running away, rebellion, sabotage, etc

   4. Major rebellions 

      1. The Maji Maji (Tanzania) against the Germans in 1904-5

      2. Ethiopians defeat Italians 1895

      3. Samoi Toure battled French and British in West Africa from his Muslim Empire - modern army with modern weapons

   5. Some African kings tried diplomacy, but failed

6. Types of Colonies

   1. Peasant production colonies

      1. Europeans taxed African exports

      2. Established European controlled trade networks, traditional merchants pushed out

   2. White settler colonies

      1. Europeans take direct control of land

      2. African farmers pushed off land; made to work for wages, pay taxes

      3. Mechanized farming introduced

      4. Only Europeans, in some cases allowed to grow certain crops

   3. Alternatives

      1. French turn Burkina Faso into a labor reserve for Sierra Leone's plantations

      2. In South Africa, lacks become a labor pool for mines and industry

7. Governing the colonies

   1. Direct rule - primary method for French

      1. Existing governments destroyed

      2. Europeans govern at all levels, local and national

   2. Indirect rule (used more by British) - made use of existing governmental structures

8. Impact of Imperialism

   1. Political

      1. Lays the foundations for modern nations

      2. Boundary lines arbitrary

      3. Exacerbated ethnic tensions (divide and conquer)

      4. European languages and judicial systems still largely in use

   2. Economic

      1. Resources unevenly distributed

      2. Infrastructure of roads, railroads, and ports, but built for European needs

      3. Little industrialization

   3. Social

      1. Creation of Westernized professional class

      2. Populations growth and increased urbanization

      3. Spread of Christianity

      4. Spread of Western style education

      5. Use or European languages as common language