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Up until the late 1800s, there were just a few European colonies on the African coastline. No Europeans had really explored the interior of what they called the “Dark Continent”. Remember “The White Man’s Burden” ???. Which one do you think is more accurate?. Forms of Imperial Control.
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Up until the late 1800s, there were just a few European colonies on the African coastline. No Europeans had really explored the interior of what they called the “Dark Continent”.
Remember “The White Man’s Burden”??? Which one do you think is more accurate?
Forms of Imperialism • Direct military intervention total control of the country • Protectorate - own govt. but “guided” by mother country • Sphere of influence - imperialist hold exclusive economic interests • But overall aim was to gain the most at the least expense
Types of Control • Settlement Colonies: large groups of people from one country living together in a new place (Australia). British convicts The aborigines were of African descent. They were brutally treated and systematically murdered by the British settlers.
Protectorates • Protectorates: the local ruler keeps their title, but the colonizers really control the area (Puerto Rico). • A political unit that depends on another government for its protection Spanish-American War of 1898 – the U.S. gained the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Dependent Colonies (Direct Rule or Indirect Rule) • Dependent Colonies: • Direct Rule: European officials ruled the natives • Indirect Rule: Europeans left the local chiefs or kings in charge and ruled through them.
Forms of ImperialismExamples of Differences Between French and British • The French used their colonial officials to govern, spread French culture, and make territories overseas extensions of France • The British focused strictly on administration and were less apt to convert colonial peoples to British ways • The British often allowed local rulers to govern territories as their representatives
Colonization under Direct Rule Colonies featured administrative districts headed by European personnel who assumed responsibility for tax collection, labor and military recruitment, and the maintenance of law and order. Administrative boundaries intentionally cut across existing African political and ethnic boundaries in order to divide and weaken potentially powerful indigenous (native) groups.
Direct Rule • This was used commonly by France. • Would have a governor-general in charge of the colony. • Was to assimilate African subjects into French culture. • Did not preserve native traditions. • Africans were could run for office and even serve in French National Assembly in Paris • Though this was rare
Difficulties Under Direct Rule Constant shortage of European personnel Ex. In French West Africa some thirty-six hundred Europeans tried to rule over an African population of more than nine million. The combination of long distancesand slow transport limited effective communication between regional authorities and officials in remote areas. An inability to speak local languages and a limited understanding of local customs among European officials further undermined their effective administration.
Indirect Rule • Local rulers allowed to keep their authority and status in the new colonial setting • Made access to region’s natural resources easier • Was cheaper because few officials had to be trained • Affected the local culture less • But some local elites resisted foreign conquest • Was used by Great Britain
Indirect Rule • First implemented by Lord Lugard in Nigeria and used by the British in West Africa • Consisted of keeping the African power structure and making it part of the colonial administration • If there was no local power structure, then new tribes and chiefs were created. • The local leaders had to follow the colonial rules in return for protection, salaries and gifts
Indirect Rule • The local leaders were responsible for collecting taxes, providing cheap labor, and reporting back to the governor or the colony • The governor was an official appointed by the British government • The intent of the British was not to destroy the African structure and culture, but to share skills and values
Colonization under Indirect Rule A British colonial administrator Frederick D. Lugard was the driving force behind the doctrine of indirect rule, which the British employed in many of its African colonies. Lugard wrote The Dual Mandate in British Tropical Africa. In this he stressed the moral and financial advantages of exercising control over subject populations through indigenous (native) institutions.
Indirect Control • Lugard thought that by using tribal and customary laws Europeans could establish a strong foundation for colonial rule. • Forms of indirect rule worked in regions where Africans had already established strong and highly organized states • Often this plan was not effective, especially in the regions that were not well organized under the control of its colonial leaders.
Indirect Rule • British administrators made all the major decisions while local authorities just carried out the orders • Kept the old African elite in power and provided few opportunities for ambitious and talented young Africans • Sowed the seeds for class and tribal tensions of the 20th century
Indirect Company Rule • Was adopted in Northern and Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe and Zambia • Was implemented by Cecil Rhodes • In 1888, Rhodes set up his own private company, the British South Africa Company, after he acquired control of the gold and diamond resources in the area • Between 1890 and 1923, Rhodes and his company set up a colonial administration using the British system of indirect rule • In 1923, the company colony became self-governing • The white settlers ran the administration free from British government control
Difficulties Under Indirect Rule Many colonial leaders were confused by the complexity of tribal laws and boundaries and imposed their own idea of what they thought was tribal boundaries and tribal laws. This was done with little regard to the differences between tribes and these tribes were split up into what Europeans thought was acceptable boundaries. These colonial boundaries divided ethnic groups or grouped traditional enemies. Some groups were even given limited access to water in their newly drawn up lines of tribal territories.
Results of Indirect Rule As a result of colonial rule with little regard to African’s tribal boundaries and practices many African nations today are fighting tribal wars Ex.(Rwandan genocide) and still having disputes over land for reasons such as ethnic dominance and control over natural resources.
The Division of Africa • Diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) were discovered in South Africa. • Berlin Conference (1884-85): • 14 European nations agreed to lay down rules for the division of Africa. • No African ruler was invited to this conference. • Demand of Raw Materials: Africa was rich in mineral resources like copper and tin in the Congo and gold and diamonds in South Africa. • Cash crop plantations for peanuts, palm oil, cocoa, and rubber were also developed.
Berlin Conference 1884 • GOALS: to promote the three c’s • Commerce • Christianity • civilization • Ensure Free trade • Ensure free navigation on Niger River • Agree to rules to divide up Africa
Also, there was the question of how to divvy up Africa in an orderly manner… • Of course, no one asked the native Africans. • Over time, “warring” tribes would be placed together • Straight lines in Africa and the Middle East clearly indicate “imperial” meddling.
The Berlin Conference laid down certain rules-- A European power with holdings on the coast had prior rights Occupation must include administrators or troops Each power must give notice to the others of what territories it considered its own THE REAL SCRAMBLE BEGAN!
African Colonization • 1884 Berlin Conference: European powers meet and agree on how to divide Africa into colonies. • Only Liberia and Ethiopia remain independent.
-British Official “We have been engaged in drawing lines upon maps where no white man’s foot has ever trod. We have been giving away mountains and rivers and lakes to each other, only hindered by the small impediment that we never knew exactly where the mountains and rivers were.”
Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 Another point of view?
England, France, and Germany take the most territory. • France takes most of the Sahel.
1884-1885: Berlin Conference *Recognized the International Association of the Congo (IAC) as sovereign government Kevin P. Dincher
1884-1885: Berlin Conference • “Spheres of Influence” • Region over which a state or organization has a level of cultural, economic, military, or political exclusivity • An international prohibition of the slave trade throughout their respected spheres • "International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs" (Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness) Kevin P. Dincher
Europeans: Carving up a Continent Who is missing from this picture???
Why would the British have the largest empire? Industrial demands, need for navy
Division in Africa No Regard for Tradition • European nations competed aggressively for other territories • 1884–1885, European leaders met in Berlin to divide African territory • Tried to prevent conflict between European nations • Berlin Conference—for European nation to claim new African territory, it had to prove it could control territory • No attention paid to ethnic boundaries in dividing Africa Suez Canal • 1869, Suez Canal influenced Britain’s interest in Egypt • Canal linked Mediterranean with Red Sea, shortened trip from Europe to Indian Ocean; no need to sail around southern tip of Africa • 1882, Egyptian government appeared unstable; British occupied Egypt to protect British interests in Suez Canal; later established partial control as protectorate to ensure British access to canal
BRITISH IN NORTH AFRICA • Egypt – in name ruled by Ottoman Turks, but largely independent • European capital investments • Suez Canal opened in 1869 • Built by the Egyptians and French • Taken over by the British (1875) • British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli • Bought shares in Suez Canal Company from Egypt • Egypt was nearly bankrupt from the expense of building the Suez Canal • British government became largest shareholder
EUROPEANS IN EGYPT • 1870s – with the Egyptian government bankrupt, the British and French took over financial control of the country • Egyptian monarchs (technically Ottoman viceroys) ruled as puppet leaders • 1882 – Egyptian nationalist rebellion • France withdrew its troops • Great Britain left in control of Egypt • Lord Cromer introduced reforms • De facto British protectorate • Made official in 1914 • Independence came in 1922
BRITISH COLONIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) • Named for Cecil Rhodes • North of Union of South Africa • Bechuanaland (now Botswana) • 1885 – became a British protectorate • Kenya • 1888 – became a British protectorate
BRITISH IN NORTHERN AFRICA • Sudan • Area south of Egypt • Under Anglo-Egyptian control • Cotton needed for British textile mills • Entente Cordiale (1904) • Great Britain controlled Sudan • France controlled Morocco • Cape-to-Cairo Railroad • Idea of Cecil Rhodes • Would secure Great Britain’s dominance in Africa • Never completed – sections missing through modern Sudan and Uganda
