1. Western Europeans Divide Africa
(Ch.11 Sec. 1)

2. Africa Before Imperialism
Africa was divided into hundreds of ethnic groups (over 1,000 different languages)
Some were Christian or Muslim (mostly in the North), but most believed in indigenous African religions

3. Keeping Euros Out 1450s-1850s
Powerful African armies were able to keep Europeans out from 1450’s-1850’s
by 1800 Euros only controlled 10% of Africa (on the coast)

4. Keeping Euros Out
up to 1800 Euros did not travel into the interior of Africa (they could not navigate Africa’s rivers until the steamboat engine)
large African trade networks kept Euros from controlling trade in Africa up to 1850

5. Euros Compete for Overseas Empires
● David Livingstone
late 1860’s: Scottish
minister traveled deep
into Africa in search of
the source of the Nile
River:
Euros read of his African adventures in books: this sparks interest in Africa

6. Belgium Colonizes Congo
African Congo

7. Belgium Colonizes Congo
King Leopold II (Belgium)
1882 signed treaties with Congo chiefs that gave King Leopold II (Belgium) personal control of Tanzania and Lake Tanganyika

8. Belgian Congo
Tanzania
Lake Tanganyika

9. Belgian Congo
● King Leopold II allowed companies to brutalize local Africans by forcing them to collect sap from rubber plants
● Belgians treated Tanzanians and Congolese so bad that humanitarians demanded changes

10. Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo (colony) was 80 times bigger than Belgium!!!

11. Other Euros Join In
1882 France took control of the Congo River (near Belgian Congo)
Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain felt left out

13. Racism
the belief that your ethnic group, nationality, and/or race is better than another
racism was how Euros justified their imperialism

14. Greed
Imperialism: The takeover of a country by a stronger nation with the intent of dominating the political, economic, and social life of the people
Euros searched for new places to take raw materials from and new places to sell their finished products (made with raw materials)

15. Pursuit of National Greatness
Euros viewed an empire as national greatness Euro nations used this attitude to justify taking over much of the globe

16. Social Darwinism
the belief in survival of the fittest, or “only the strong survive” – adapted from Charles Darwin’s theories in nature

17. Social Darwinism
many Western Euros saw people of color as inferior because they were not as technologically advanced
“…..since weaker people can’t defend themselves, it’s our duty to take them over”

18. European Advantages Maxim Machine Gun (1889)
Africans had outdated weapons

19. European Advantages Steam Engine
Allowed Euros to quickly navigate African rivers to set up bases of colonial control in Africa

20. European Advantages Railroads, Telegraphs
made communication and travel easy
between colonies and the mother
nation (made control easier)

21. European Advantages Drug Quinine ● gave Euros immunity to Malaria
● allowed Euros to colonize the interior of Africa (not just coasts)
● gave Euros immunity to Malaria
● disease cause by African mosquitoes

22. Internal Problems in Africa
Africa has huge variety of languages and cultures
made unity against European imperialism difficult

23. Internal Wars and Resentment
many wars between African cultural groups
Wars over land, trade, water rights: led to lasting resentment amongst different groups
made unity difficult
Europeans knew this: they learned to play groups against each other while colonizing them all

24. Berlin Conference
: 14 European nations met to prevent war for African colonies
laid down the rules for carving up Africa like a pizza!

25. Berlin Conference no African rulers were allowed to attend
the meeting divided up Africa and sealed its fate

26. Berlin Conference
by World War I (1914) only Liberia and Ethiopia were independent African nations

27. Cash Crops
Europeans developed cash-crop plantations in Africa: crops grown just for making money not for food
peanuts, palm oil, cocoa, rubber, coffee
Africans then became dependent on Europeans for food as well

28. African Resources Belgian Congo: rich in copper and tin
South Africa: rich in gold and diamonds

29. South Africa
● Native Africans, Dutch, British continually clashed over land and resources in South Africa

30. South Africa
1816 Shaka Zulu used disciplined military to organize a centralized state (Zulus: African tribe in S. Africa)
1887 Zulu lands were conquered by British (after Shaka’s death)

31. South Africa
1652: Dutch first colonized Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)
a stopping point between Asia and The Netherlands (Dutch homeland)

32. The Boers Dutch settlers in South Africa Dutch for “farmers”
took over South Africans’ land and established large farms

33. Great Trek
1830’s Boers moved farther north into South Africa to escape British
Boers fought wars with Zulu tribe and others whose land they were taking

34. The Boer War ( )
1860’s British wanted gold/diamonds from South Africa
Boers rebelled against the British in S. Africa 1899

35. The Boer War ( )
Boers used guerilla tactics (hit and run/hide and seek) against the British
British responded by burning Boer farms and imprisoning women and children in concentration camps

36. The Boer War (1899-1902) 1902 Britain won
Britain allowed Boers to have some self-government in S. Africa but Britain owned the colony of South Africa

37. The Boer War ( )
Western Europeans fought the Boer War for South Africa
Native South Africans had no control over the fate of their country

38. Apartheid
Boers (Dutch) left in South Africa established a system of separate facilities for whites and blacks in South Africa
Black South Africans were second class citizens in their own country until 1991

39. Class Assignment Read Pages 310-311
Complete Skill Builder Questions on 310 & 311.
Stamp at the end of the period

40. Class Assignment Page 315, questions 1-3
Stamp at the end of the period