Imperialism In Africa Research Paper

747 Words3 Pages
Imperialism in Africa In 1884, European imperialist nations met at the Berlin Conference and carved Africa up like a cake. Great Britain took Rhodesia, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa, while Portugal took Angola and Mozambique, and Belgium took the Congo. France set up colonies in Morocco, West Africa, Algeria, and Madagascar, while Italy took Libya and Eritrea, and Spain took Rio de Oro. At the Conference, (which did not include African representatives), Europe based new colonial boundaries on natural resources and disregarded the tribal and ethnic boundaries that had existed for centuries. Enemy tribes were often forced to live together, which resulted in civil wars over the years. These wars, however, were not the only effects that European imperialism had on Africa. Some effects were great for the Europeans and Africans, but others only benefited the mother countries at the colonists’ expense. Document 1 clearly illustrates how the mother countries benefited at the expense of the…show more content…
Document 4 says that not only were they unable to keep up the utilities, they didn’t have skilled administrators to govern their new independent nations. This shows, in a way, that colonialism actually benefited the Africans by giving them security and stability, and by making use of their resources which otherwise would have been undetected and undeveloped. But, it would be wrong to suggest that imperialism was very positive for Africans. Many African men were killed and overworked, as described in Document 6. This left Africa with a reduced supply of capable workers and leaders when they became independent. The impact of European imperialism is still felt today. Many resources were exploited, the peoples’ religion was changed, and tribal wars have led to civil wars in places like Rwanda and
Open Document