In the late nineteenth century during the period of New Imperialism, a singular event which has since been known as ‘the scramble for Africa’ took place. The European powers, most notably Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal rather suddenly and competitively began their colonization of Africa. Together they colonized almost the entire continent; all but Ethiopia and Liberia were taken control of. Historians have continuously debated the causes of this event, and many theories have come to light, however presently there is still no definitive answer. The part Britain played in the scramble is, in particular, an interesting case. Britain in fact colonized the highest number of African territories, and therefore gained the most power. …show more content…
Due to these reasons there was a great pressure on the British government to expand, and consequently they gave their support to Scottish businessman and shipowner, William Mackinnon, and allowed him to establish and lead the Imperial British East Africa Company. Mackinnon himself believed that the Eastern area held great economic potential, and he was a significant factor in the eventual decision to expand. The East did in fact have trade opportunities in many resources such as ivory, gum copal, India rubber, tobacco, and more. However, the primary reason for Britain’s change of attitude in regards to expansion in the East was in fact not for trade interests, but to counter Germany, and prevent them from taking control of the area. Another important factor is that the east coast also had close links to India, where Britain had vital empire - there were East ports lying on the Cape route to India, which could potentially be very beneficial, such as in times of crisis. Although a similar situation to the West, the expansion of the East was significantly more politically driven. This corresponds with Robinson and Gallagher’s theory, who argued that since trade in the west surpassed that in the east, Britain’s concern with the east …show more content…
They did so both for the economic benefits, and as yet another political move in order to protect their interests from the other European powers. Taking control of the Cape Colony allowed them to more accurately control the seas to India, in order to prevent the French from reaching it. Britain had reason to perceive the French as a threat as they had very recently acquired the Seven Provinces of the Netherlands, the mother country of the Dutch East India Company. As for the economic benefits, the most important of these was in the form of gold, which was discovered in the Transvaal in 1886, which naturally drew the attention of the other European powers, and thus exacerbating Britain’s concern of protecting their interests in the area. Cecil Rhodes, a member of Parliament in the Cape Colony, played a significant role in the further expansion in the south. He was determined for Britain to expand their empire all throughout Africa. He firmly believed that the British were superior to all other ethnicities, all therefore it was their duty, and further God’s will that they should not only expand in Africa for their own gain, but also in order to “protect” and “civilise” Africa and its natives. As like with Mackinnon in the East, the British government
The British had a triangle of trade with Africa. They would go to Africa trade finished goods and bring them to
Throughout the 19th century, European Imperialism had a major effect on Africa. As countries expanded in terms of wealth, resources, and innovation, more territory and workers were needed. The first solution to solve these problems was to begin colonizing in Africa. The driving force for imperialism in Europe and Africa was mainly economical. This economical approach was established through many ways including cultural and nationalistic ideas.
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.
Through the use of the documents and events during two major-expansion time periods (1776-1880) and 1880-1914), I will display both the continuation and departure trends of United States expansionism. The departure from previous expansionism (up to 1880) developed alongside the tremendous changes and amplifications of United States power (in government, economics, and military.) The growth in strength and size of the United States' navy gave the country many more opportunities to grow, explore, and expand both in size and money. The better range and build of ships allowed the U.S. to enter the far-east "trade and money" lands of the Philippines (eventually a territory) and China. Because of the huge production of agricultural goods and the need for outputs and markets for these goods, the United States needed to find other places for shipping, trading, buying, and sellingand the far east was just the place.... ...
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 a land grab on 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 economic, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation. Europe in this period was a world of competing countries. Britain had a global empire to lead, France had competition with Britain for wealth and so did other nations like Germany and Russia.
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.
Great Britain had economic interests in the Atlantic colonies since the 16th century. Through many laws, acts and conquests, Britain sought to control and influence the colonies. Britain ultimately failed in this endeavor. Though the British government could divide and allot the land as they pleased, they could not control it effectively. By the end of the French and Indian War, they had lost all of their ability to control the Atlantic colonies.
Conquest and colonization has always played a role in the history of European powers. Throughout the centuries many different European empires have attempted to make their mark on multiple different continents. Some have found success, while others have failed. One case in particular, in which European nations could not quite find stability, was in North America. Factors such as the American Revolution, U.S. westward expansion, and the Monroe Doctrine pushed European nations out of North America. Afterwards, the late 19th century marked the beginning of New Imperialism. As New Imperialism began, Africa became important to European nations in their “Scramble for Africa”.
The Web. November 22, 2010 http://web.ebscohost.com>. Hargreaves, John. The. “The Scramble for Africa.”
India was where the riches of the world came from, the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. The British needed to dispel the threat of other Europeans in Africa to maintain control of India, and they did so efficiently. They quickly gained control of both the major sea routes to India and then turned their eyes to the rest of the continent. Whether the British were trying to foster public support or prevent another nation from becoming a threat, all British actions in Africa were directly or indirectly linked to India. The British were motivated by their desire to become powerful, and they skillfully combined enterprise and conquest to create a globe spanning empire centered around the wealth of India.
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.
“The sun never sets on the British Empire,” Great Britain often bragged. By 1914, about 85% of the earth’s surface was colonized by Europe. Between 1884 and 1885, The Berlin Conference took place to carve up the African continent (Background Essay). Europeans saw high potential in Africa and thought the continent was empty, even though it was not. It was roughly “untouched” and they thought they could do anything they wanted (Doc.1). Great Britain’s colonization in Kenya affected the country’s religion and culture, education, and government.
One of the main reasons was that the Europeans believed that the more territory a country was able to control, the more powerful it could become and the more powerful it would be seen as by other countries. Other reasons for the desire to control African land included the many natural resources that could only be found in Africa, such as diamonds, gold, and as time progressed, rubber. It also provided new markets in surrounding places so that manufactured goods could be sold for a larger profit. The Europeans had many motives for imperialism in Africa. Yet the true motives were often shielded as they tried to present themselves as humanitarians when in reality they were making Africa a terrible place to live with brutality and harsh treatment of the African natives.
The New Imperialism and the Scramble for Africa 1880-1914. Jeff Taylor, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.