The Scramble for Africa: European Domination in the Mid-1800s

1. Scramble for Africa Chapter 11 Section 1

2. Africa Before European Domination • Mid 1800s, African peoples were divided into hundreds of ethnic and linguistic groups. • Most continued to follow traditional beliefs. • Some converted to Islam or Christianity. • Spoke more than 1,000 different languages. • Ranged from large empires to independent villages.

3. Europeans in Africa • Europeans had contact with Africans as early as 1450. • Europeans controlled 10% of Africa’s land. • Mainly on the coast. • Europeans had a difficult time going into the interior. • Rivers were hard to navigate. • Disease • Steam powered ships made it possible to explore the interior.

4. Forces Driving Imperialism • 1. Economic Factors – Industrial Revolution provided Europeans the need for larger markets • 2. Political Factors – Territory = power • 3. Social Factors – Empires were viewed as a measure of national pride

5. Belief in European Superiority • Race for colonies also grew out of a strong sense of national pride. • Empire = measure of national greatness. • As competition intensified, each country was determined to plant its flag on as much of the world as possible.

6. European “Superiority” • Europeans believed that they were better than other peoples. • The belief that one race is superior to others is called racism. • This was a reflection of Social Darwinism. • Charles Darwin’s idea of survival of the fittest was applied to society. • Those who were the fittest enjoyed wealth and were superior to others.

7. Push for Expansion • Missionaries also pushed for expansion. • They worked to convert peoples of Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands to Christianity. • Missionaries believed that European rule was the best way to end evil practices, such as the slave trade. • They also wanted to “civilize” or “westernize” the peoples of the foreign land.

8. Factors Promoting Imperialism in Africa • Several factors contributed to the European’s conquest of Africa. • The main factor – Technological superiority • Maxim gun – world’s first automatic machine gun • Africans – outdated weapons • Steam Engines • Africans lacked a sense of nationalism. • Easy to play rival groups against each other.

9. The Division of Africa • Scramble for Africa began around 1880. • The discoveries of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) in South Africa increased European interest in colonizing the continent. • No European power wanted to be left out.

10. Berlin Conference Divides Africa • The competition was so fierce that European countries feared war among themselves. • To prevent potential conflict, 14 European nations met at the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885 to lay down the rules for the division of Africa. • They agreed that any country could claim land as long as they notified other nations and showed they could control the area.

11. Dividing a Continent • Europeans divided the continent without considering the native groups. • African rulers were not invited to attend the conference. • By 1914, only Liberia and Ethiopia remained independent.

12. Africa

13. Shaping Colonies • Africans did not buy European products. • Europeans turned colonies into plantations and mineral mines.

14. Zulus Fight the British • Zulu chief, Shaka, organized a highly disciplined army but still lost control of southern Africa to the British.