AGE OF IMPERIALISM AFRICA

Prior to 1880, Europeans control little of Africa directly By 1914 only two African nations are still independent Known as the “Scramble for Africa” Scientific advances helped make controlling Africa easier Discovery of the drug quinine which treated malaria Development of the first automatic machine gun gave Europeans a huge military advantage

GREAT BRITAIN British set up settlements along the Gold Coast and in Sierra Leone Establishes a protectorate over warring groups in Nigeria The British take an active interest in Egypt after the Suez Canal opens because it greatly reduces the time it takes to get to India “Lifeline to India” – want control over canal area Buys Egypt’s share in the Suez Canal Egypt becomes a British protectorate so that Britain can protect its interest in the Suez Canal Gain control of the Sudan to protect Egypt (British East Africa)

FRANCE France added the huge area of French West Africa Controls the largest part of West Africa 1879 after 150,000 French people settle in Algeria, the gov’t of France claims it 1881 imposes a protectorate over neighboring Tunisia 1912 establishes a protectorate over Morocco Also receives part of the Congo

GERMANY German East Africa Germany gains control of Togo, Cameroon, and German Southwest Africa (Namibia) German East Africa

BELGIUM Gets a large part of the Congo

PORTUGAL Claims Mozambique and Angola

ITALY Attempts to take control of Ethiopia in 1896 Invades and are defeated and embarrassed – only European nation defeated by an African state 1911 Italy invades and seizes Turkish Tripoli and renames it Libya

South Africa Boers, or Afrikaners (descendants of the original Dutch settlers) have occupied Cape Town and the surrounding areas since the 1600s Britain seizes these lands from the Dutch during the Napoleonic Wars Starts a war with the Boer gov’t The Boer War 1899-1902 The Boers are eventually defeated and their land goes to Britain 1910 Union of South Africa Combines Cape Colony and the Boer republics into a self-governing nation within the British Empire Only white people could vote Apartheid = South African government’s official policy of legalized racial segregation

Berlin Conference Europeans competed aggressively for territories in Africa and to prevent conflict, European leaders met at the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885 Purpose was to divide African territory It was agreed that when a European nation claimed a new African territory it had to notify other European nations and prove it could control the territory Africans were not invited to the conference and Europeans ignored traditional ethnic boundaries Current boundaries in Africa were made by Europeans at the Berlin Conference Long-term consequence is tribal warfare

Colonial Rule Divided among Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Spain Only two African states remain independent: Ethiopia – defeated the Italians Liberia – homeland created by the U.S. for freed slaves Most Europeans rule their new territories with the least effort and cost possible Many African subjects assimilate European culture