The Scramble for Africa

1
The Scramble for Africa
2
Imperialism

• Imperialism- the seizure of a country or
  territory by a stronger country

3
Africa Before European Domination

• Powerful African armies were able to keep
  Europeans out for 400 years
• European travel to the African interior was
  impossible
• African rivers hard to navigate
• Disease made it difficult
• Steam-powered riverboats allowed interior
  exploration

4
Nations Compete for Overseas Empires

• People who went on expeditions were explorers,
  missionaries, or humanitarians
• Commonality Opposed European American slave
  trade

5
David Livingstone

• Missionary from Scotland in Central Africa to
  promote Christianity
• Missing for several years
• Henry Stanley sent to find him
• Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

6
Forces Driving Imperialism
7
Nationalism

• Europeans viewed an empire as a measure of
  national greatness
• Racism- Europeans believed that they were better
  than other peoples

8
Social Darwinism

• Survival of the fittest
• Those who were fittest for survival enjoyed
  wealth and success and were considered superior
  to others
• Wanted to Westernize and civilize the peoples
  of the foreign land

9
Factors Promoting Imperialism in Africa

• Technology
• Machine gun
• Steam engine (railroads, steamboats, etc)
• Medicine
• Prevented diseases for Europeans
• Diversity among Africans
• Differences in languages and cultures discouraged
  unity

10
Division of Africa

• European countries were competing for African
  territories rich with diamonds and gold
• Berlin Conference- meeting of 14 European nations
  to lay down rules for the division of Africa
• European nations divided the continent with
  little thought about how African ethnic and
  linguistic groups were distributed
• No African ruler was invited to attend the meeting

11
Raw Materials

• Europeans needed Africas rich mineral resources
  to produce goods
• Copper, tin
• Developed cash-crop plantations
• Displaced food crops grown by African farmers, so
  many of the natives were starving

12
South Africa

• Zulus v. British over this territory
• British used their superior guns and other
  advanced weapons to defeat the Zulus

13
Boer War

• British v. the Dutch (Boers) over territory
• First modern total war
• British defeated the Boers and controlled the
  Union of South Africa

14
New Period of Imperialism
15
Influence of European Nations

• Europeans wanted an influence over the economic,
  political, and social lives of the people
• They were determined to shape the economies of
  the lands to benefit European economies
• Also wanted the people to adopt European customs

16
Forms of Control

• To establish control of an area, Europeans used
  four different methods colony, protectorate,
  sphere of influence, and economic imperialism

17
Methods of Management

• Indirect and direct control
• Indirect
• British asked a local ruler to accept British
  authority to rule
• Local officials handled daily management and soon
  the local population would govern itself

18
Methods of Management, cont.

• Direct
• Europeans did not believe that Africans could
  rule themselves
• Paternalism- policy used by Europeans in which
  they governed people in a paternal way by
  providing for their needs but not giving them any
  rights
• Assimilation- policy where the native country
  would adopt the culture and customs of the
  European country

19
British Imperialism in India
20
British East India Company

• Controlled large portions of India
• Sepoys- Indian soldiers in the British army
• Great Britain considered India its Jewel in the
  Crown because it was the most valuable of all
  British colonies

21
Indian Raw Materials

• Tea, indigo, coffee, cotton, jute, and opium
• Traded opium to China and exchanged it for tea,
  which they then sold to England

22
Impact of Colonialism

• Negative- British held all of the political and
  economic power, with little concern for Indian
  natives
• Positive- India was able to modernize because of
  new technologies brought by the British

23
Sepoy Mutiny

• Many Indians believed that the British were
  trying to convert them to Christianity
• British also expressed constant racism towards
  Indians

24
Sepoy Mutiny, cont.

• Rumors spread that the sepoys rifle cartridges
  were greased with beef and pork fat (Hindus and
  Muslims were outraged)
• Majority of sepoys refused to accept the
  cartridges and they were jailed by the British
• Soldiers rebelled and captured the city of Delhi
• Rebellion spread and it took over a year for the
  British East India Company to take back control

25
Turning Point

• British government took direct control of India
  in 1858 Raj
• British did not believe that Indians could rule
  themselves