A New Era of European Expansion. The Scramble for Africa The Berlin Conference 1884-85.

A New Era of A New Era of European ExpansionEuropean Expansion

The Scramble for Africa The Berlin Conference 1884-85

Dr. David Livingstone (1813-73)

• Encouraged the involvement of Europeans in bringing the light to Africans

• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

• British • Missionary work

George Gordie (1846-1925)

• British• Est. The National

African Company• Est. Br. Colonial rule

in Nigeria.

Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904)

• Correspondent for New York Herald

• Wrote about Africa• Caught attention of

King Leopold III of Belgium

• Congo River source.• “Dr. Livingstone I

presume.”

Lord Stanley’s Route

Case Studies in Case Studies in Imperialism and Self-Imperialism and Self-

DeterminationDetermination

North Africa

A place of conflict between major powers then…and today:

• France and Great Britain:• Started in 1801 – Napoleon I• Some foreigners ended up fighting with and

against the French. • One of whom becomes a great leader in

Egyptian modern history:• Muhammad Ali (1769-1849)• Born in today’s Albania

His descendants would rule Egypt till 1952.

Muhammad Ali’s Reign (1805-49)

• Modernizer and Father of Modern Egypt.• Agriculture: cotton – cash crop.• Military• Education• Government: bureaucracy

• Expanded into Sudan.• His rule is significant: One example of

Islamic response to western encroachment.

Said’s Reign (1849-1863)

• Suez canal “lifeline of British Empire”• Built by Universal Suez Ship Canal Company

(French) • Ferdinand de Lesseps• 1859-69• 1.5 million Egyptians work on it• 125 thousand died…cholera

Cholera in today’s world

How it kills:

• Enterotoxins cause diarrhea.

• Massive fluid loss (20 liters) – shock – death.

• 24-36 hours• Treatment:

rehydration, electrolytes, anti-biotics.

Ismael’s Reign (1863-79)• Took advantage of high

cotton prices due to US Civil War (1861-65)

• War ends; price of cotton drops – Egypt goes nearly bankrupt.

• Ismael sells his shares in the Suez canal to British; avoids bankruptcy.

• Br. influence as a result.

• He taxed to death the fellahin

• Employs a British mercenary, Charles “China” Gordon.

• His adventures:• Advancing into Sudan• Siege of Khartoum by

Mahdists (1885)• Four Feathers (film)

Fashoda Incident (1898)

• French and British soldiers meet face to face and nearly start a war.

• Diplomacy prevailed.• Significance: the race

for colonies creates tension.

Significance of this case study?

• Est. European influence• Shows self-determination in Egyptians, but

economic mismanagement leads to foreign influence

• Suez Canal: strategic importance.

French Expansion

• Into Algiers (Algeria), Tunis (Tunisia), and Morocco.

• At first not interested, till…• British in Egypt• Settled in areas along the Mediterranean

coast.

Italian Expansion

• North Africa: Libya.• Horn of Africa:

• Somalia

• Ethiopia (attempted)• Menelik II

• Played one European against another

Crisis in Morocco: The First Moroccan Crisis (a.k.a. Tangier Crisis) 1905• Kaiser Wilhelm II

supported Moroccan independence.

• Results: Puts Br. and Fr. together as allies.

• N.B. The Second Moroccan Crisis 1911 (Agadir)

Case Studies ContinuedCase Studies Continued

Central Africa: The Congo & Conflict

The African Slave Trade(Ended by British in 1807)

• By Africans:• Slaves become

integrated into the society.

• Stay in Africa.

• By Non-Africans:• Become chattel.

• Removed from Africa.

King Leopold III of Belgium

• “Christianity, commerce, scientific exploration, and an end to slavery.”

• International Geographic Congress on Central Africa (offices in Brussels and Paris)

Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza (1852-1905)

• French explorer and adventurer • City of Brazzaville named after

him.• Represented France’s interests

in the International Geographic Congress on Central Africa.

Timbuktu

Niger River

French and English Conflict

1. Over Egypt: British win.

2. Over Niger Trade (palm oil): French by leveraging British interests with loans for restoration of Alexandria.

Berlin Conference (1885)

• Fourteen European nations attended and the USA.

• No African leaders were there.• European nations settled their claims to

Africa.• But…

Case studies Case studies ContinuedContinued

South Africa

Zulu

• Bantu speaking• Shaka expanded their

empire south.• Forced Africans

further north and east.Shaka Zulu(1787-1829)

Afrikaners (Boers)

• Originally from Holland.• Britain took over in the early part of 19th

century.

• “The Great Trek” 1830s.• Thus est. Orange Free State and

Transvaal.

Invasion of Zululand by British

• King Cetawayo of Zulus versus British

• Battle of Isandlwana 1877

• Greatest loss of a modern army against a primitive one.

Paul Kruger(1825-1904)President of Transvaal

The Boer War 1899-1902

• The Boers est. Transvaal• Gold is discovered (1888).• Cape to Cairo (Cecile Rhodes) • British attempt to annex.• Rebellion• 55,000 Boers versus 450,000 British plus

Canadians and Australians

Cape to Cairo

Boers (Afrikaners)

How was Britain victorious against the Boers?

• Brutal: Scorched earth policy• Use of technology, esp.. machine

gun.• Concentration camps• Size of force.

Nearly 29,000 Boerchildren, and womendie of starvation or disease.15,000 plus blacks die.

Baden-Powel

Legacy of Boer War

• Germany supported the Boers: created resentment.

• Est. Union of South Africa

East African States

• Mirambo• Leader of Nyamezi • Controlled access to Arab slave traders• Tanzania

African Resistance

• Shana & Matabele fought against British (in Rhodesia or today’s Zimbabwe)

• Uhehe against Germans.• Africans lost:

• Lack of unity• Modern weapons• Rinderpest (viral infection of cattle)

European RuleEuropean Rule

Direct Rule

• Total direction by European leadership• Paternalistic• Assimilation (esp. by French):

• Via education

Indirect Rule

• Just the British…enlightened or what?• British governor, but some local leadership.• Br. did not have the man power for direct.

The Economics of Imperialism

• Goal: Self-sufficiency.• Pay its own expenses

• Exploit resources:• Infrastructure designed with this in mind.

• Tax Africans (cash only, please)

Legacy of Colonization in Africa

• Rivalries amongst imperial powers.• Exploitation of African rivalries by

Europeans prevents pan-African resistance.• Loss of culture (see Industrial Revolution)• Educated Africans lead independence

movements in second half of 20th cent.• Colonial economies are today third world

nations.