12.2- Partition of Africa

1. 12.2- Partition of Africa European countries scramble for African territories. Africans resist, but cannot stop the Europeans.

2. Africa in the Early 1800s • Prior to imperialism, Africa was a multi-language, multi-governmental country • North Africa was largely composed of the Sahara Desert, along with fertile lands near the Mediterranean Sea. • East Africa was largely influenced by the Muslim religion, slave trade (Middle East), and natural resources such as copper and ivory

3. Africa in the Early 1800s • In Southern Africa, the Zulus emerged as a major force, led by Shaka • Shaka slowly took over and conquered many nearby people. • This set off many wars and migrations away from the area.

4. Great Trek • A group called the boers migrated from the now British-controlled Cape Colony. • They migrated northeast, eventually running into the Zulus, creating a conflict that would last until the end of the century

5. European Contact Increases • Navigating Africa’s large rivers (Niger, Nile, Congo) led European imperialists to explore Africa further inland • Catholic and Protestant missionaries traveled into Africa and helped build schools, medical clinics, and churches • The missionaries urged Africans to reject their native ways in favor of Western civilization • Famous Missionaries: Dr. David Livingstone, Henry Stanley

6. A Scramble for Colonies • King Leopold II of Belgium hired Henry Stanley to navigate the Congo River Basin and arrange trades with African leaders there. • This set off a scramble for African colonies

7. Berlin Conference • The purpose of the Berlin Conference was to avoid war over African territories • They recognized Leopold’s claims at the Congo Basin, but organized free trade from the Congo and Niger rivers • They also claimed that a European power could not claim any part of Africa unless it had set up a government office there • This led to the completely redrawn map of Europe, on page 395.

8. Issues with Imperialism • Workers in the Congo (under Belgian rule) were beaten and mutilated, and the population declined drastically. • France lost tens of thousands of lives in its conquest of Algeria, in North Africa • Britain acquired the Cape Colony in 1814, and also saw its influence spread into Egypt, the Sudan, and West Africa as well.

9. The Boer War • Boers left the Cape Colony, and headed north to set up their own colonies and governments • In the late 1800s, the discovery of gold led them into conflicts with the British, eventually resulting in the Boer War, which lasted from 1899-1902, costing many British casualties • Eventually, Britain unified the Boer republics with the Cape Colony, creating the Union of South Africa.

10. Africans Resist Imperialism • Algerians battle the French • British battled the Zulus in the South, and the Asante in the West • Germans were fighting in Zimbabwe in the East • Maji-Maji Rebellion- Germans survive after burning farmlands, leading the natives to starve • Ethiopia managed to fight off imperialists and maintain their independence • Menelik II began to modernize the country in the late 1800s, building roads, a school system, etc.