Consequent to the political and economic rivalries among the European empires in the last quarter of the 19th century, the partitioning of Africa was how the Europeans avoided warring amongst themselves over Africa. The later years of the 19th century saw the transition from "informal imperialism", by military influence and economic dominance, to the direct rule of a people, which brought about colonial imperialism. The social and economic effects of European Imperialism in Africa are, economy, military, and social class. Africa was a new market for manufactured goods that could be sold for high prices, and was also a source of raw materials that could be manufactured. Although, in the grand scheme of the African economy, it grew to a more global position, the social or individual part, suffered greatly.
Africa was a continent that was relatively unknown to most civilized countries until it would become a integral part in history in the development of the modern day earth. Africa offered foreign countries resources that no other region had between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. As a result this caused for countries to colonize Africa in what became known as the “Scramble for Africa”. The transformation that occurred in Africa between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries that came about as a result of the political, social, and economical changes that occurred in Africa help to propel Africa into a continent that would be a developed area. The changes that occurred in Africa caused for Africa to become a premier area on the rise as a result of European influence.
The main reason the British practiced imperialism in Africa was to bring forth Christianity and many European civilizations to African countries. Britain’s economy fed on trade, and they did not want the West Coast of Africa for its palm oil. They believed it was too unstable for good commerce without their control. Their main objective was to protect their high paying countries; India and the Caribbean. Since the slave trade in the 1830’s, Africa didn’t impress the British.
When European’s first arrived at Africa, they landed in Cape Good Hope. They built railroads, their key to transportation. Their crops grew just as they normally would. They conquered the Zulus, an aggressive, militaristic group. However, when the European’s entered the tropics
His struggle made him a household name, and stimulated the attitude that it was Britain’s moral mission to help native people. This attitude of ‘moral mission’ however, was to pave the way to a legacy of undesirable consequences against the native people whom the explorers were trying to help: the enduring legacy of slavery. Unfortunately, European interference in Africa would soon involve more than the activities of explorers and missionaries, the continent was soon to be entangled in the world of European politics and the scramble for Africa. By the 1870s politicians like Benjamin Disraeli were tapping into a growing public enthusiasm for Empire, he himself previously referred to colonies as ‘millstones around our necks’. Disraeli and many European politicians came to see the domestic political usefulness of imperialism.
Because We Could Harry James-Roxby There is no single event that caused the scramble of Africa, rather it was a series of choices made by European countries between 1870 and 1900s. Each nation had their own reasons for wanting a piece of the African “pie”, for Brittan it was to give the empire more power over trade, for the French it was for prestige, and for King Leopold II it was boredom and the means to do it. Before the scramble for Africa could happen, Europeans had to go through an industrial revolution that began in 1840, this boom created new tools and medicines that helped Europeans exert control over far off lands. The revolution ushered in an era of “New Imperialism” that helped spread the ideas of empire around Europe. With all the nations wanting a piece of Africa agreements had to be met so that a Europeans don’t go to war with one another.
The primary motivation for European invasion was economic. The Europeans were seeking to create a profitable trading environment and make money. They were also looking to further industrialize their country. This desire for industrialization, which included the need for raw materials, markets, and convenient trading outlets, was a driving force in the imperialistic conquest and colonization of Africa. Africa contained a great number of natural rescources valuable to Europe such as: cotton, palm oil, rubber, ivory, gum, peanuts, bananas, coffee, cocoa, zinc, lead, coal, and copper.
By 1914 Africa had been carved up by seven different European nations trying to exert their dominance in the world through Imperialism. What is even more stunning is that hardly any area in Africa was under native control, almost all of it had come to belong to European nations through conquest. This time period was all about European nations fighting for who was the most powerful, and whoever was the most powerful had the most colonies. That was really all that mattered during this time period, Imperialism, and whoever was the most dominate Imperialist, was the strongest nation. France and England were the most successful in gaining land in Africa, France had a majority of West Africa whereas England also had South Africa and East Africa.
Previously, Africa although not fully isolated from the centers of other civilizations, remained secluded from communication with them, slowing the indigenous religions to be the main belief system. West Africa’s first major change begun around 1000 CE when followers of the prophet Muhammad came across Africa bringing its religion, Islam, and social changes. Due to its connection with the Islamic world Africa started to connect with other foreign territories through its new trading and long distance commerce system, exchanging new ideas and products. Furthermore, this new connection with the outside world brought occupants to the area, resulting in a population about 30 to 60 million by 1500 CE. These new economic effects deteriorated the native’s beliefs role as the sole influence of its society, sharing that position with Islam.
Andy Bartlett 11-19-06 DBQ Imperialism in Africa In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries European imperialism caused its countries to divide up the rest of the world, each country claiming bits as its own. Due to its large amounts of resources, Africa was one of the main areas in which European nations established colonies. Imperialism in Africa had both positive and negative results for not only the Africans in the colonies, but the European colonizers as well. Some positive effects on Africans were that they were provided with security by their ruler and new technology was brought to them. Some negative effects from them were the Africans loss of freedom, slavery, the loss of their land and natural resources to the colonizer, and a decrease in African nationalism.