European Imperialism in Africa

Why Africa? Motives? -Economic? -Political? -Religious? Advantages: –Maxim gun (machine gun) –Steamship –New medicines to fight malaria & yellow fever The Maxim Gun mounted on a gun carriage “Whatever happens we have got, The Maxim gun, and they have not.” -English poet Hilaire Belloc

Berlin Conference of 1884 Residence of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck of Germany in 1884 Europeans divided up Africa amongst themselves NO Africans were invited Borders were made to help Europeans only –New borders separated tribes –New borders put together warring tribes

Central Africa The CONGO River Rich in natural resources: –copper, TIN –gold, silver –diamonds –rubber –oil Sub-Saharan Africa’s fourth largest oil producer –underdeveloped hydro- electricity Today, it’s COLTANCOLTAN Tapping the latex of a rubber tree

Democratic Republic of the Congo June 30,1960: independence gained. Belgium leaves. –Country becomes DR Congo Political upheavals soon followed –No $ for infrastructure –No experience w/ democracy 15 college graduates (from Euro colleges) in the entire country –Corrupt leaders soon came to power

Belgium leaves Congo (Kinshasa) COLD WAR comes to DR Congo USSR supports Patrice Lumumba –becomes DRC’s first prime minister –Communist leanings –US seen as foreign imperializer –What happened to Lumumba and why? Assassinated in Feb Patrice Lumumba Patrice Lumumba

DRC’s Early Years Power struggles continued in early 1960s A military coup brings Joseph Mobuto (Mobutu Sese Seko) to power in 1965 US/West supports Mobutu Sese Seko –USA helps to put him in power –willing to trade w/t USA –contains communism –highly corrupt Mobutu Sese Seko

Cold War comes to Congo Proxy War for USSR v. USA USSRUS/West Patrice Lumumba reluctantly aligns with USSR Saw the USA as a foreign imperializer Mobutu Sese Seko highly corrupt individual USA and West reluctantly align with him as this will contain communism

Mobutu Sese Seko “Africanization” Renames DR Congo to ZAIRE HIGHLY corrupt gov’t Embezzled $5 billion from his country –majority of people are impoverished –ruled as a dictator –infrastructure continues to deteriorate –stole money from loans given to improve Congo In power until 1997, when he is overthrown by Laurent Kabila

Mobuto’s Troubles 1991-fall of USSR US withdraws support for his gov’t Domestic protests begin Promised “elections” but never had them Mid-1990s-Katanga region had separated from rest of Zaire –Causes civil war and instability in the eastern Congo –Area remains unstable even today DR Congo is approx. as large the US east of the Mississippi, mostly tropical

White Man’s Burden As you read, answer the following questions to guide your understanding of the poem. 1. According to Kipling, and in your own words, what was the "White Man’s Burden"? 2. What reward did Kipling suggest the "White Man" gets for carrying his "burden"? 3. Who did Kipling think would read his poem? What do you think that this audience might have said in response to it ? 4. If you were a citizen of a colonized territory, how would you respond to Kipling? 1899 cartoon. Uncle Sam balances his new possessions, which are depicted as savage children. The figures are identified as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Cuba, Philippines, and the Mariana Islands