Western Europe’s expansion of Atlantic trade, through exploration and colonization, not only improved their own economy, but also the economy of America, through sharing new trade products and crops as well as beginning the slave trade. Western Europe began exploring other parts of the world around the mid-1400s. They first started out with primarily explorers from Portugal and Spain. Some of these people were Christopher Columbus, Francisco
Strategic factors played a changing role in Britain’s relationship with its African empire throughout the expansion period 1870-1902, the consolidation period 1902-1955 and the de-colonisation period 1955-1981. In some of these periods Strategy was right at the foreground of Britain’s rule in Africa and other times it was pushed to the back by other major factors. These include economic considerations, International relations, changing attitudes and nationalism. Many historians such as Martin Pugh saw that ‘the most obvious motive for British expansion was strategic’. Britain’s strategic motives in Africa centred on thwarting the growth of rival European powers as well as securing its interests in Africa.
To what extent were economic motives the most important reason for Britain obtaining influence and possessions in Africa from 1868 – 1902? There are many factors involved which allowed Britain to obtain influence and possessions in Africa during the scramble. The main factors are Strategic, The individuals in the field, humanitarian issues and properly the most important factor; economics. Economics could be described as the main reason for British interests in Africa to begin with but also remaining an important factor throughout this period. The British involvement in Africa was down to economic reasons; this is clear throughout the time period as most events which take place in Africa can be linked back to economy.
European Imperialism in Africa and Asia European nations followed to establish trade contacts in Africa and Asia. Their influence in the non-Western world increased gradually in the next three centuries. Beginning in 1870, European nations moved rapidly to extend their control over almost all of Africa and in most of Asia. The industrialized nations competed with each other for natural resources and raw materials such as copper, rubber, petroleum, and cotton after the Industrial Revolution spread within Europe. The industrial middle class, who had gained greater influence in the governments in Europe, encouraged imperialist ventures to seize control in Africa and Asia.
Europe quickly became the dominant region over the economic aspects of the Columbian Exchange, however their social influence in the Americas and Africa developed slower during the time period of 1492 to 1750. In the mid-fifteenth century, European interest in Africa expanded from goods to incorporate slaves. Europeans began to take over African civilizations and keep natives as their slaves. This was not a new practice to keep war captives as slaves. However the Europeans began to export these African slaves across the globe to established colonies in both North and South America for the first time.
In 1453, the Ottoman Empire began to block trade routes from Europe to the East. This forced the European countries to search for new trade routes. These new trade routes led from Europe to Africa and the Americas. From 1492 to 1750, the results of new contact between Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas changed all three socially by a development of a middle class within Europe, mass exports of slaves in Africa, and the placement of the encomienda system. Many aspects of the African and American economies remained unchanged by maintaining an agrarian based economy.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, European imperialism radically changed the boundaries inside the continents of Africa and Asia incorporating them into their developing colonial empire. This was the same scenario for British imperialism in India. Over time, the colony and colonizer’s opinion on imperialism evolves, as both experience the downside and upside of colonialism. Britain, mother country of India, had benefitted very much from their colony and dramatically improved the quality of life in India. (doc1) (doc4) Through India, Britain was able to obtain tropical produce for their citizens.
The industrial revolution contributed to the Scramble for Africa because Europe hoped that Africa would be a source of raw materials to feed on the industrial revolution. Their interest on the Scramble for Africa increased when diamonds and gold were found in South
The period of 1492 to 1750 offered both the old world and the new world an era of rising independence and connection. During this phase in world history, the Europeans dominated world travel, and by doing so, established colonies in the Americas and also inflamed the African slave trade. As a result of this global domination, the relations focused mainly on Western Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Because of the connection between the three regions of the world, their respective economies developed and drastically changed them from where they were before. The some existing social structures became distorted, others remained constant, and new social structures became apparent as another effect of the new worldwide connection.
When the consumers were making the sugar cane and the fields, the more slaves they had, the more sugar produced and more money. Slavery helped majorily in the sugar trade with their work and labor, before the machines took their jobs. Many people wanted slaves so bad that they would basically trade anything like bullets, pipes, powder, and more. The cost of slaves in the West African coast compared to the British Caribbean, showed in document 9, was double the cost. The price for slaves increased dramatically for the reason of sugar trade.