1 / 30

Early History of Sub-Saharan Africa

Early History of Sub-Saharan Africa. Many years ago (not 2500…). Climate became hotter & drier in Northern Africa  plants destroyed, rivers evaporated People forced to move southward Nile Valley (Egypt) remained fertile and civilizations emerged along the Nile River Delta.

della
Download Presentation

Early History of Sub-Saharan Africa

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Early History of Sub-Saharan Africa

  2. Many years ago (not 2500…) • Climate became hotter & drier in Northern Africa •  plants destroyed, rivers evaporated • People forced to move southward • Nile Valley (Egypt) remained fertile and civilizations emerged along the Nile River Delta

  3. African Kingdoms & Empires: A Preview • Ghana - cultural hearth • Large, effectively organized states existed in Africa for centuries before European contact • The Great Bantu migration • Occurred in waves starting about 5000 years ago

  4. Ghana: The Kingdom of Gold • First great W. African trading empire (700 CE) • Gold was VERY plentiful here = $$$$$$$ • Practiced traditional African religions, but very tolerant of Muslim traders (to the north) • Power came from ability to use iron weapons to control gold and salt trade • Taxed all trade—tax collection system put into place • Weakened w/ Berber attacks  enter Islam

  5. Berbers SALT GOLD

  6. CAMEL CARAVANS!

  7. Kingdom of Mali • Rose to power after Ghana (about twice the size) • Most powerful under rule of Mansa Musa • Also became rich from the gold-for-salt trade • Encouraged Islam (officials had to read/write in Arabic) • Made the hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia

  8. The Great Mosque at Djienne, Mali

  9. Timbuktu & Major Trade Routes

  10. Songhai Empire • Replaced Mali gradually • Islam became official religion • Expansion of lands • Ended in 1600s

  11. Bantu Migrations • Had already established societies in central & southern Africa during the “empire period” in the north • Historians estimated that Bantu spread over 1/3 of continent  CULTURAL DIFFUSION • How did they impact Africa then and today? • Founded central African kingdoms (kingdom of Kongo/Congo) • Iron tools allowed more efficient work • Established colony-like states • Absorbed other people into their society  60 to 150 million people speak a Bantu language today! • Influenced modern-day countries: Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe

  12. Swahili Trading States • Swahili is a Bantu language • Traded gold, slaves, ivory, leopard skins, etc. with Persia, India, & China • City development Another Bantu grp. (Shona)

  13. European Arrival • Natural wealth of Africa  Europeans interested! • Began in 1200s, mainly by the Portuguese • By 1600s & 1700s, Europeans were trading gold, ivory, textiles (cotton) and SLAVES • Got the idea from Africans, actually! • (kings & chiefs of African kingdoms had taken prisoners-of-war and traded them with Arabs….for a really long time)

  14. Triangular Trade

  15. The Slave Trade

  16. Berlin Conference: 1884 • How did the Industrial Rev. impact colonialism in Africa? • Need cheap labor, raw materials, new markets, and competition b/w countries • Why was the Berlin Conf. called? • On paper: legally divide continent between European powers (sounds legit) • In reality: it was a power struggle to see who could control slave trade, become SUPER rich off of Africa’s natural resources • What was the doctrine of “effective occupation”? • To own coastal land, had to prove you were capable of protecting freedom of trade & transit (wealthy and powerful enough to handle it). “Sphere of Influence”

  17. Berlin Conference: A Summary • 14 European powers divided up Africa without any consideration of cultures • Result of boundaries: • Ignored cultures, divided homelands • Set African groups against each other by European rule • Migration routes cut off • Small, local farms  HUGE plantations for cash crops (coffee & tea) • European missionaries promoted Christianity/European culture  weakening of African culture • By 1914, all but two areas (Liberia & Ethiopia) were colonized by the Europeans

  18. Which two European powers ruled much of Sub-Saharan Africa? • British • French

  19. Pros!  Cons  • New educational opportunities • Cities developed under European rule • Economy set up to benefit the EUROPEANS, not the Africans • No room for African involvement in government • Not given an example for democracy • This is important! When these countries won independence later (after World War II), they didn’t know how to run themselves as a democratic government  conflicts as different groups within countries competed for power

  20. African independence

  21. Really took off after WWII – weakening of Europeans • Used Africans for military- • Larger group of educated Africans  what impact did this have on independence?

More Related