The Scramble for Africa

The Scramble for Africa is one of the best examples of colonization in world history. Europe alone managed to colonize the entire African continent in a period of roughly twenty five years, spanning from 1875 to 1900. The quest for power by European nations was only one of the driving forces for this race for colonization. The geographical location and the natural resources to be exploited in certain regions of the continent were important factors in the race for land. Another factor that contributed to the colonization of Africa was the end of the slave trade. The need for new capitalism to exist between Europe and Africa after the call for the abolition of slavery became great. European traders were searching for new avenues for making money, as well as new ways to exploit of the natives of Africa, due to their perceived weakness as a people, made the quest for occupation relentless by European nations. Political, economical and social ambitions all led Europe to partition Africa into separate colonies and the race to see what country could establish a monopoly in Africa became a European obsession.

There is a consensus among historians that the political Scramble for Africa was begun by King Leopold of Belgium. King Leopold had been a supporter of Henry Stanley, a Welsh journalist and explorer of Africa. In the late 1870s, Stanley had been on another expedition to the Africa, mapping the Congo River from its origins to the ocean. Leopold had developed an interest in the Congo region in Africa. He sent Stanley as his private envoy of his International African Association in an effort to establish a foothold in the Congo region. Leopold had not been forthcoming in his intentions to Stanley. He led Stanley to believe it was his ...

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... the continent of Africa resulted in millions of deaths, from mistreatment to disease to outright warfare waged against them. In many regions, the European countries raped the land of its nature resource with little concern for the land or the people who lived on the land. Although their were some positive improvements such as better transportation and healthcare, African cultures were destroyed and lives were lost in the process of European colonization.

Works Cited

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Print.

“Democratic Republic of Congo profile.” BBC News. BBC. Web. 10 January 2012.

“Imperialism.” Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. 2008. Print.

Ogbaa, Kalu. Understanding Things Fall Apart: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999. Print.