Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa

631 Words2 Pages

By 1885, little to no independent countries existed throughtout the whole African continent. This was due to the imperialism done by strong European countries. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, and Spain are to blame. There are many possible contributing factors as to why the European countries decided to completely carve up Africa, split it up, imperialize the whole of the continent. Because of the need for resources Africa could supply, the European desire for power, and the European's reaction to the White Man's burden, they took control of almost every square mile in Africa through imperialization. One of the main reasons Europeans colonized Africa was for their useful resources. There are countless assets in the African landscape that were wanted by other nations. The European countries had access to some of the worlds most needed resources such as cotton, oils, coal, gold, and diamonds because they controlled Africa. This is shown on a chart of African colonies and their exports. ("Selected African Colonies and Their Exports" 269). This shows how the European countries carefully selected the land they did, to get certain resources they needed or wanted to use to benefit from. Another chart from a book by Trevor Lloyd, (Lloyd, The British Empire), displays the large jump of exports to Africa from 1854 to 1900. What that means is once Great Britain established complete control of South Saharan Africa, they began to export the resources they found that they could use. These charts are proof of how the European's wanted resources, and that is one of the main reasons for the imperialization of Africa. Not only did the European nations want the continent's resources, but they had an equal hunger for power. A... ... middle of paper ... ...r 1885. Works Cited The DBQ Project. Chart. 2012. 267. Print. "The DBQ Project." What Was the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa? (2012): 257. Print. Fabri, Freidrich. "Does Germany Need Colonies?" Does Germany Need Colonies? (1879): 265. Rpt. in The DBQ Project. 265. Print. Khumalo, Lobengula, Cheif of the South African Ndebele (Matabele) Tribe, Early 1890s. 1890s. Print. Kipling, Rudyard. "The White Man's Burden." 1899. Print. Lloyd, Tevor Owen. "Great Britain and South Saharan Africa Imports and Exports, 1854 and 1900." Chart. The British Empire: 1558-1995. 2012. Print. "Partition of Africa, 1884-85." Map. The DBQ Project. 263. Print. Ruskin, John. "Lecture at Oxford University." Lecture. Oxford University. 8 Feb. 1870. The DBQ Project. 265. Print. "Selected African Colonies and Their Exports." Chart. The DBQ Project. 2012. 269. Print.

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