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A Brief History of Imperialism in Africa

A Brief History of Imperialism in Africa. Why Africa is the Forgotten Continent. African Trade [15c-17c]. The Dark Continent. “Dark Continent”—racist terminology referred to both the peoples of Africa and their alleged ignorance

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A Brief History of Imperialism in Africa

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  1. A Brief History of Imperialism in Africa Why Africa is the Forgotten Continent

  2. African Trade [15c-17c]

  3. The Dark Continent • “Dark Continent”—racist terminology referred to both the peoples of Africa and their alleged ignorance • In reality, Africa has always had diverse groups of people with their own unique cultures and histories • Civilizations • Languages • Religions

  4. Imperialism in Africa • What is it? • Seeking out new territories to expand power around the world. • Who were the “imperialists” ? • Europeans • Result? • Only two independent nations in Africa by the start of WWI (1914)

  5. Africa 1890

  6. Africa 1914

  7. EuropeanNationalism Industrial Revolution Source for Raw Materials MissionaryActivity Markets forFinishedGoods European Motives For Colonization HumanitarianReasons SocialDarwinism EuropeanRacism Military& NavalBases “WhiteMan’sBurden”

  8. Motives for Imperialism • Economic Needs • A need for raw materials that were not domestically available and those raw materials were abundant in Africa. • Industrial Revolution – place to dump manufactured goods

  9. Motives for Imperialism • Social Darwinism • “Survival of the Fittest” • Only the strongest nations survive and only the strongest nations have colonies in Africa

  10. Motives for Imperialism • Missionaries • “The White Man’s burden” • Europeans felt that they needed to civilize the rest of the world. They also felt that they needed to convert everyone in Africa to Christianity

  11. “The White Man’s Burden” • Term comes from Rudyard Kipling's famous poem, which begins: Take up the White Man's burden Send forth the best ye breed- Go bind your sons to exile To serve your captives' need; To wait in heavy harness, On fluttered folk and wild- Your new-caught, sullen peoples, Half-devil and half-child.

  12. The White Man’s Burden?

  13. Motives for Imperialism • Adventure • Inspired by stories of excitement & adventure • Stanley Livingston & Henry Stanley

  14. DAVID LIVINGSTONE • Scottish missionary • Explored central Africa • Named Lake Victoria after the British queen • Converted many Africans to Christianity • Wrote books on Africa which piqued foreign interest • 1871 – reported “lost” • “Found” by Henry Stanley

  15. Where was the source of the Nile River? Lake Victoria OR Tanganyika Lake

  16. HENRY STANLEY • Welshreporter • “Found” Dr. Livingstone in Africa • “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” • Explored Africa (for King Leopold) • Congo River • Lake Tanganyika • Lake Victoria

  17. Berlin Conference Divides Africa • There was so much competition for land in Africa, Europeans feared a war • Held Berlin Conference to carve up Africa • Sounds like a good idea…. But no one consulted the Africans! Philanthropy or Greed?

  18. Berlin Conference Divides Africa • Any sovereign power which wanted to claim any territory should inform the other powers “in order to ... make good any claim of their own.” • Any such annexation should be validated by effective occupation. • Treaties with African rulers were to be considered a valid title to sovereignty.

  19. European Imperialism in Africa

  20. Review… • Summarize the four motivations for European imperialism in Africa • What were Livingston & Stanley know for? • What occurred at the Berlin Conference?

  21. The British in South Africa • Cape Colony (now South Africa) obtained after fighting the Boer War with the Dutch • Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) • Named for Cecil Rhodes • Bechuanaland (now Botswana) • 1885 – became a British protectorate

  22. CECIL RHODES • British businessman & politician in S. Africa • Made fortune from African diamond mines • DeBeers Diamonds • Established South African Company which becameRhodesia (Zimbabwe) • Becomes prime minister of Cape Colony (S. Africa) • Wanted Cape-to-Cairo Railroad • Architect of British imperialism in southern Africa

  23. CECIL RHODES

  24. What does the statement reveal about Rhodes’ attitude toward Africa • I contend that we (the British) are the first race in the world, and the more of the world we inhabit, the better it is for the human race… It is our duty to seize every opportunity of acquiring more territory and we should keep this one idea steadily before our eyes that more territory simply means more of the Anglo-Saxon race, more of the best, the most human, most honorable race the world possesses. • Cecil Rhodes, Confession of Faith 1877

  25. Cape-to-Cairo Railway:Crossing over Victoria Falls

  26. The British in Africa • Egypt • Sudan – split between French & British • Nigeria • Ghana • Sierra Leone • Kenya • Part of present day Libya

  27. FRENCH IN AFRICA • Algeria • Tunis (present day Tunisia) • Morocco • Madagascar • Somaliland • West Africa • Late 1800s – largely under French control • Sudan – split between the French & British

  28. FRENCH IN AFRICA • By World War I – 1914 • France controlled 3,250,000 square miles in Africa • 14 times the area of France • France ruled 30,000,000 Africans • 75% of the population of France

  29. Germans in Africa • Togoland (now Togo & Ghana) • Cameroons (now Cameroon & Nigeria) • Southwest Africa (now Namibia) • East Africa (now Burundi, Rwanda, & Tanzania)

  30. Italians in Africa • Eritrea (along the Red Sea) • Somaliland (along the Indian Ocean, part of today’s Somalia) • Defeated in attempt to conquer Abyssinia (Ethiopia) • Libya

  31. BELGIANS IN AFRICA • 1908: Belgium gained control of Congo (Congo Free State) • King Leopold was infamous for the cruelty of his rule in the Congo • 80 times the size of Belgium • Source of copper, rubberand minerals • Conservative estimate: • 10 million deaths

  32. King Leopold

  33. Villagers who failed to meet the rubber collection quotas had to pay with their hand. Belgian soldiers used to shoot a bullet through their hand, but then decided to cut them off to spare the expense of ammunition.

  34. PORTUGUESE IN AFRICA • Led the early trans-Atlantic African slave trade from: • Angola • Mozambique

  35. SPANISH IN AFRICA • Spain had very few possessions in Africa • Tip of Morocco • Western Sahara

  36. AFRICANS IN AFRICA • By the time of the First World War (1914) • Only 2 independent African countries • Abyssinia (Ethiopia) • Ruled by dynasty stretching back to at least the 13th century • Liberia • Formed by freed slaves under auspices of the United States government

  37. Effects of Imperialism • Africa was divided without respect to culture, ethnicity, and tribal boundaries • Artificial borders • Caused continued conflict • Undermined traditional family life • Ruined traditional African Tribal governments, which has led to UNSTABILITY • Many civil wars and cruel leaders

  38. Effects of Imperialism • Europe exploited and depleted Africa’s raw materials for their own purposes • Treated Africans with extreme brutality • Left Africa with a desire for modern technology and the same living standard as westerners • BUT, with little means to achieve those standards

  39. Poverty in Africa

  40. Monday... • Exam Part #2 on Africa. • Please refer to the list of countries that will be assessed.

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