European Imperialism

Essential Question:

• What have been the lasting effects of imperialism on Africa today?

European Exploration

• European groups interested in Africa

– Missionaries• Wanted to convert Africans to Christianity

– Merchants• Dreamed of fortunes to be made in the trading of

African ivory, gold, and tropical trees

European Exploration-cont.

• European groups interested in Africa

• Industrial leaders – Wanted Africa’s natural resources– Needed raw materials for goods made – Needed new markets for their finished products

• Political leaders– Saw oversees empires as a way to increase their

popularity

Independent Africa

• Parts of Africa remained independent after European colonization

– Liberia• Home to freed slaves from America who went back

to Africa

– Ethiopia• Predominantly Christian country

Important People in European Imperialism

• King Leopold

– One of first Europeans to make a grab for Africa

• Claimed Congo for himself

• Rubber trees natural resource of Congo– Needed rubber for “boom” in bike and motor car

industries

Important People in European Imperialism-cont.

• David Livingstone– Missionary who wanted to help end slave

trade– Searched for source of Nile

• Henry Stanley– Explorer who claimed Congo for King Leopold

of Belgium– Searched for source of Nile

Economic Changes in Africa

• Economic changes caused by imperialism

– Farm economy changes to cash crop economy

• Change from growing crops to feed families to growing crops to export and to make profit

Economic Changes in Africa-cont.

• Impact of economic changes on Africans– Hard for farmers feed families

– Farmers’ land taxed• Forced to mine for natural resources help pay taxes

– Weakened family because men spent months away from home to work in mine

• Lasting effects of imperialism in Africa• Ethnic violence, racism

Berlin Conference

• Purpose– Europeans meet to divide Africa and claim resources

of continent for themselves

• Factors considered/ignored– No Africans invited to conference

• Ethnic groups were separated, enemies were brought together

• Created new boundaries and borders on continent

Berlin Conference-cont.

• Problems created

– Ethnic groups/ethnic violence

• Ethnic groups who hated each other for years brought together

• Competing groups brought together

Berlin Conference-cont.

• Problems created– Civil War

• Conflicts between groups within a country• Assassinations

– Genocide• When one group of people tries to eliminate

another based on race, ethnicity, or political differences

Vocabulary

• Colonialism/imperialism– Control of one country by another through

economic, political, or military means

• Cash crops– Crops grown for sale or export

EQ Answer

• Lasting effects of European imperialism

– Ethnic violence• Kenya• Rwanda

– Cite of Civil War, assassinations, and genocide– Hutu and Tutsis People

– Weak governments• Ethnic violence• Lack of experience in self-government• Corruption