Nigeria was colonized by the world leader at the time; Britain, and was claimed as a colony in 1914. Although both Britain and the Royal Niger Company had been claiming parts of Nigeria as a protectorate, their control over Nigeria was achieved through both peace treaties and military actions. Europe didn’t officially recognize Britain’s control over Nigeria until after the Berlin Conference which gave Britain full right to Nigeria, and Britain hastened to forcefully control the area after civil war in Nigeria over the slave-trade threatened to disrupt their interests. Britain was interested in the palm-oil trade of Nigeria, which was controlled by The Royal Niger Company along the Niger river. Once Britain claimed Nigeria, it set about …show more content…
governing it, and its culturally diverse people. As a result of their lack of troops, Britain attempted to sustain indirect control over the 250 different ethnic groups of Nigeria. The leaders of the three largest groups, Hausa-Fulani, the Yoruba, and the Igbo, especially resented British control, and with it, being considered one people, as they each had unique culture, religion and government. Consequently, the British system of control through local officials, only worked with the Hausa-Fulani, who had a strong central government and leadership, but it did not work out as well for the Igbo and Yoruba, who were presided over by local chiefs and religious leaders. Britain tried to influence the culture of Nigerians through various methods, one of which was sending Christian missionaries who appointed Nigerians into the clergy, attempting to make Christianity socially acceptable in Nigeria. British merchants tried to make the most out of Nigeria’s palm oil resources, as the palm industry was around at 1 billion worldwide at the time, leading them to bring their ships upstream and bargain from their ships directly with the local suppliers at the city of Onitsha, to avoid coastal port prices, so they could turn a higher profit. Nigerians attempted to resist on multiple fronts, and tried to retain some power, so when British explorers led an expedition up the Niger river, they were kidnapped by illegal Muslim slave-traders and sold to European ships. Such efforts were common in Nigeria as Britain struggled to control the 250 different ethnic groups. In the colony of Lagos, local Africans formed the Lagos Legislative Council, which was an appointed assembly. Nigerian elite were often English speakers from Sierra-Leone, Brazil and Cuba, and many of them were employed officially or active in business, as the British supported English speakers and tried to encourage cultural assimilation. Britain also tried to improve the daily life of Nigerians, through public works projects such as providing graded roads in well-traveled areas, and making local rivers suitable for boat and canoe traffic. Britain built a railroad from Lagos to Ibadan and Oshogbo, a 62 mile track, which proved to be an economic boost, and encouraged trade . The problem, was that although Britain made life seem easier for Nigerians, much of the track was built by forced labor, and the British threatened to jail anyone who didn’t work. The British colony of Nigeria didn’t gain independence until 1960 within the British Commonwealth, although the Western and Eastern regions gained a formal self-government in 1957, but Nigeria’s Declaration of Independence wasn’t signed until 1963, which made it officially independent.
Nnamdi Azikiwe played a major role in the independence of Nigeria, as he studied in the United States, and came back to lead the African struggle against colonization. Although it wasn’t until 1960 that Nigeria was independent, many legislative groups had been forming and Nigerians experienced more and more freedoms before their actual independence. The makings of Nigerian Independence began as early as 1920, when religious and cultural groups began to preach patriotism, and planted the ‘seeds of independence’. Many Nigerians began to join the West African Students Union, which championed self-government and was led and supported by British and Native Africans educated within the United States, including activists Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois. Although many of the Union’s members were educated on foreign soil, they claimed that self-government was the only way to unleash the progressive forces of Nigeria, even though they accepted foreign influence. Prominent Nigerians were critical of Britain’s seeming disregard for the richness and complexity of their cultures and encouraged Nigerians to ‘regain ethnic consciousness’. Another voice of independence was the preachers of Christian churches, as Britain’s method of cultural assimilation through Christianity backfired as it became conducive to Nigerian Independence. As the constitution of 1922 gave Nigerians the ability to send delegates to the Legislative council, the Nigerian National Democratic Party emerged, and was led by the father of Nigerian nationalism; Herbert Macauley. He used his political platform to call for Africanization of the civil service, and independence for Lagos, and he also published a newspaper, The
Lagos Daily News to educate Nigerians on their political situation, and the prospects of independence. He also founded The National Youth Movement, which used nationalist messages to press for improvements in education, and Nnamdi Azikiwe first gained public attention through this experience, who would later become the first president of the new republic. By the year 1938, the National Youth Movement was pressing for dominion status within the British Commonwealth, equal to Australia and Canada. Another prominent figure emerged, Obafemi Awolowo, who changed the National Youth Movement to the Action Group, and was the secretary general and leader of the Nigerian Produce Traders’ Association. Awolowo was well-equipped to lead in the emerging culture of Nigeria, as he had lots of connections and was an excellent speaker, and was able to spread his message as the first Nigerian to use modern electioneering techniques. Three major political regions began to dominate in Nigerian politics, the North, East and West, but there were minor ethnic groups that served as a platform to voice minority concerns and the major parties would try to appease the minority demands before elections, trying to position themselves for power in hope of the coming independence. The British Parliament at Westminster approved a Nigerian Constitution in 1946, which allowed the Legislative Council to meet about matters that affected the whole country. Houses of Assembly were constructed in each of the three regions to preside over local matters, as Britain began giving up more and more of their power in Nigeria. Multiple Constitutions were written after this one, which slightly restructured government within Nigeria, as one gave more power to each region, while another gave more power to the central government, as democracy was working within Nigeria, and in another prominent figures were trying to compromise with a constitution. By 1957, the West and East Regions were self-governing within the Parliamentary system, and the North region achieved the same status 2 years later. In 1956 petroleum reserves within the Nigerian delta were discovered commercially, and soon after facilities were being constructed to retrieve it. In 1957 and 1958, at the Lancaster House in London, Nigerian delegates met with the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, and Nigerian delegates were selected to represent the different areas of Nigeria, and in 1959, elections took place in Nigeria for the newly enlarged House of Representatives, which now had 312 members. Azikiwe was installed as Governor-General over Nigeria on October 1, 1960, as an Act of the British Parliament, and a 44 member Senate was established, and Nigeria was officially an independent nation.
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.
Africa is a land of riches like no other, so as expected, European countries would have some sort of desire to conquer properties in whatever way they did. As stated in African Colonies and their Exports Chart, countless of natural resources are found in different areas in Africa. Not only does the data show plenty of resources, but also a variety (Doc D). This confirms that Africa is a wealthy land that Europeans grew fond of and hoped to take over. Specified in Imports and Exports Graph, following the 1900’s, after the conference to divide up Africa was held, Britain decided to use Africa’s natural resources and specialize in many industries. The imports doubled from 4 million pounds, while the exports boosted from 2.5 million all the way to 21 million pounds (Doc. E). With this lucrative increase in trading and selling, it is fair to conclude that not only were resources a factor of beginning imperialism in Africa, but also a successful result.
As the 20th century approached, more and more countries grew desperate for land, resulting in an imperialistic activity known as the Scramble for Africa. The European imperialists were motivated by three main factors; economic, political, and social. These factors made countries compete for power and eventually led to the scramble for African territory. Although economic expansion at times was a positive outcome of European imperialism in Africa, these positive effects are outweighed by negative outcomes such as loss of culture and independence.
Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting for a land grab in the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economical, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation.
Throughout the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, almost every country in Africa was imperialized by other countries in Europe. To imperialize is to conquer another country, whether it be in the means of politics, economics and/or culture, and control that land. The aftermath for the imperialized country was either beneficial or harmful. The amount of African countries that a European country imperialized varied. Great Britain imperialized fifteen countries in Africa, including Egypt in 1882, Sierra Leone in 1808, and the Union of South Africa in 1910. Although Great Britain’s reasons to imperialize were selfish, Britain helped each country progress afterwards.
When the Age of Imperialism began in 1875, it effected Africa in many ways. Nowhere was the competition for colonies more intense than in Africa. Europeans went after North and South Africa splitting up the continent. Egypt and Sudan were taken over by Britain to obtain the Suez Canal. Imperialism helped to develop Africa’s economy and turned it into a continent of colonies.
Have you ever pondered the idea of another nation ruling? This was the question that many Africans had to wonder under European rule. What was the driving force behind imperialism in Africa? What three major reasons did european countries become interested in Africa?
Many European powers took part in the “Scramble for Africa” for raw resources such as tin and oil to fuel their Industrial process however, this came at the cost of colonial tension. From the British perspective, they believe “Great
The most prominent response to European Imperialism by Africans was the formation of allies as an attempt to stand together and make decisions that benefit the same goal of maintaining a stable society along with freedom and other civil rights. As seen in Document #1, the Chiefs of several African groups come together to sign a document that affects their society in a positive way by “extending the territory” and areas like the Niger River Delta. All the leaders pledged to “NOT” go to war with others as they need to work together for a better future. Signing a contract intended for the Royal Niger Company sets rules and regulations for Africans and the Royal Niger Company to follow so that there aren’t any disagreements in the future that can
Africa has had a long and tumultuous road of colonization and decolonization; the rush to colonize Africa started in the 17th century with the discovery of the vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and rubber, with colonization hitting a fever pitch during World War I. However, the repercussions of colonization have left deep wounds that still remain unhealed in the 21st century. Early on, European nations such as Britain, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium scrambled for territories. Countries wanted land so they could harvest the resources, increase trade, and gain power.
Nigeria contains more historic cultures and empires than any other country in Africa. People were first known to inhabit Nigeria as early as 5 B.C. They first constructed a kingdom in the center of Nigeria, which is named Jos Plateau. This was the first of many widespread kingdoms of that region, but two centuries later it would extend to Bornu, which is located on the western region of Nigeria (Gascoigne 1). Nigeria was made up of mostly kingdoms until British colonized in the 1800’s. The Soko Jotojhad and Yotruba wars encouraged slave trade at the time the British were trying to abolish the slave trade. Slaves were normally traded for European goods such as guns and gun powder. At this time, the British encouraged trading palm oil over trading slaves. Many of the slaves that were exported to Britain were intercepted by naval ships and shipped to Sierra Leone to collect palm oil. Some Nigerians began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of their homes and trade. British missionaries were invited to follow the slaves back, and in the 1840’s they wer...
In June 1961, the northern part of the United Nations Trust Territory of British Cameroons was incorporated into Nigeria's Northern Region as the province of Sardauna, and in August 1963 a fourth region, the Mid-Western Region, was created. From the outset, Nigeria's ethnic, regional, and religious tensions were magnified by the disparities in economic and educational development. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was adopted on October 1, 1963. At the same time, Nigeria became a member of the Commonwealth and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of the NCNC took office as first Nigerian's first President. On January 15, 1966, a group of officers overthrew the government.
According to Samuels in Case Studies in Comparative Politics, Nigeria began as a group of states and empires, which were conquered by the British Empire who ruled Nigeria through indirect rule with varying degrees of rule in North and South Nigeria (Samuels, 323-326). Since they were granted independence in 1960, three republics have been created and each has ended by military rule, which led to the creation of the fourth, and current republic in Nigeria. In the current regime Nigeria’s GDP is ranked 108 of 156 and has been decreasing, lower than some of the non oil-producing nations in Africa (“Nigeria”).
During the colonial period in Nigeria (from about 1850 to 1960), the British, like any other colonial power, asserted their dominance through a variety of media. The colonial experience of Nigeria and Britain, and Nigeria's early post-colonial history can be described, roughly chronologically, in three phases or periods: the formation of a ‘captured' colony, the education and inculcation of ‘proper,' British ways (i.e., the ‘taming' of the colony), and the immediate aftermath of colonialism (i.e., the ‘independence' of the colony). This essay attempts to scrutinize these periods in the light of the theories of Karl Marx, Ernest Gellner, and Jack Snyder. My claim is that Nigeria's colonial relationship with Britain, in general, reflects Marx's theory of the dichotomy between the oppressor and the oppressed, Gellner's theory that domination and oppression is disseminated through educational means, and Snyder's theory on the risks and dangers that young, ‘immature' … countries face when they gamble on democracy
Throughout history, imperialism has led countries to extend their rule over weaker countries and then colonized those countries to expand their own power. Imperialism allows the ruling countries to use the weaker countries for their resources. Colonizing other countries would then lead to growth and a better reputation for the dominating country. There are many examples of imperialism throughout European history. When many European countries “scrambled” for Africa, it seemed as though Africa had no say in anything. During the 19th century, Europe found a way to use Africa for their own growth and power. Using Africa for their resources, the Europeans colonized Africa without a second thought. European imperialism in Africa had a negative impact because of social disarray, cultural loss, and death it caused.