The Partition of Africa

North Africa  Sahara Desert and Fertile land along the Mediterranean  Close ties to the Muslim world  Early 1800’s, under control of Ottoman Empire

West Africa  Grasslands  Islamic reform movement  Usman dan Fodio: Jihad: holy struggle to revive and purify Islam  Forest regions: Asante kingdom: traded with Europeans and controlled smaller states

East Africa  Islam  Port cities: Mombasa and Kilwa  Slave ports to the Middle East  Ivory and copper exchanged for cloth and firearms from India

Southern Africa  Shaka united the Zulu nation in early 1800’s  Mass migrations and wars create chaos  1830’s: Zulus vs. Boers

European Contact  Explorers fascinated by African geography: Mungo Park and Richard Burton  Missionaries: Catholic and Protestant sought to convert natives (children in need of guidance) to Christianity

Dr. David Livingstone  Crisscrossed Africa for 30 years  Less bias than most Europeans  Opposed slave trade  End of slave trade would come from opening up interior to trade and Christianity

King Leopold II of Belgium  Sent Henry Stanley to explore Congo River basin  “civilizing mission”  Dreamed of conquest and profit  Exploited riches of the Congo  Belgian overseers brutalizing villagers  Forced to work for almost nothing, savagely beaten and mutilated  International outraged forced Leopold to turn control of Congo over to Belgian Gov’t

Berlin Conference 1884  European countries arguing over land  To avoid bloodshed, met in Berlin to divide up Africa  No Africans present at Conference  No European power could claim a part of Africa unless they set up a government office in the area.  20 years later, European powers partitioned almost the entire continent

European’s Spoils  France: Mediterranean and N. Africa, empire was as large as continental United States at its height  Britain: smaller and more scattered than France, but included more heavily populated regions  Portuguese: Angola and Mozambique  Italy: Libya and horn of Africa  Germany: eastern and southwestern

The Africans Strike Back  Armed resistance across the continent  Ethiopia was one of the only areas in Africa (besides Liberia) to successfully hold off the Europeans (Italy)  Age of Imperialism led to the development of a western-educated African Elite

Protectorate  Egyptian nationalists revolted against foreign influence in 1882  Britain made Egypt a protectorate  Governor of Egypt was still an official of the Ottoman government but followed policies dictated by Britian  Protectorate=Puppet government