Unit 7: Africa Topic: Africa and Imperialism Content Objective: Describe Africa’s interaction with imperialism/colonialism and how it affected the countries and people.

Foreign History

Greeks controlled Egypt after conquest by Alexander the Great Ptolemaic dynasty Romans ruled all areas along the Mediterranean coastline, including northern Africa Arab traders converted many Africans to Islam from the 7th century Source of slaves for the Americas Little interest in the interior

The “Dark” Continent Terminology people of Africa their alleged ignorance Possible anecdote: Review of African cultures and civilizations, such as Mansa Musa and Great Zimbabwe.

The Scramble for Africa

Mid-1800s Missionaries and explorers sparked foreign interest in Africa

David Livingstone Scottish missionary 1841-1873 – lived in central Africa Explored Africa Named Lake Victoria after the British queen Converted many Africans to Christianity Wrote books on Africa which piqued foreign interest 1871 – reported “lost”

Henry Stanley Welsh-American reporter “Found” Dr. Livingstone in Africa “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Explored Africa Congo River Lake Tanganyika Lake Victoria Worked with Belgium’s King Leopold II and his African colonization company International African Society

King Leopold II Took over land in central Africa “millions of men still plunged in barbarism will be at the dawn of a better era” Created European race for African colonies “Scramble for Africa” Diamonds, foodstuffs, gold, ivory, rubber

Karl Peters German explorer Organized for Germany’s colonial expansion Society for German Colonization Acquired German East Africa (modern-day Tanzania) Convinced Otto von Bismarck to take over German East Africa and increase Germany’s colonies in Africa

Cecil Rhodes British businessman and politician in southern Africa Made a fortune from African diamond mines Established South African Company Land later became Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) Architect of British imperialism in southern Africa Great Britain became leading colonial power in southern Africa

Traditional agriculture to work for European companies Some worked on rubber plantations or in copper mines Others built railroads to bring these natural resources to ports, where they could be shipped to Europe and used in factories

Drawing Borders

Berlin Conference 1884 European countries decided they could claim African colonies just by setting up government offices in African territory

British 1902 Union of South Africa Created in 1910 Included Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Natal, and Transvaal Self-government

French Algeria Tunis Morocco Madagascar Somaliland West Africa Sudan France controlled 3,250,000 square miles in Africa 14 times the area of France France ruled 30,000,000 Africans 75% of the population of France

Germans Togoland (now Togo and Ghana) Cameroons (now Cameroon and Nigeria) Southwest Africa (now Namibia) East Africa (now Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania)

Italians 1882-1896 1912 Eritrea (along the Red Sea) Somaliland (along the Indian Ocean, part of today’s Somalia) 1912 Won Tripoli from Ottoman Turks

Belgians Congo Free State (today’s Democratic Republic of Congo) 80 times the size of Belgium Source of uranium

Portugal Angola Mozambique

Spaniards

Africans By 1914 Only 2 independent African countries Abyssinia (Ethiopia) Liberia

Africans Fight Back

“I have listened to your words but can find no reason why I should obey you – I would rather die first… If you desire friendship, then I am ready for it, today and always. But I cannot be your subject. If you desire war, then I am ready.” Chief Machemba (1890)

“That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned: That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained…”

Every country independent