TheScrambleforAfrica

THE“DARK”CONTINENT

•  “DarkCon5nent”–racistterminologyreferredtoboththepeoplesofAfricaandtheirallegedignorance

•  Inreality,Africahasalwayshaddiversegroupsofpeoplewiththeirownuniqueculturesandhistories–  Civiliza5ons–  Languages–  Religions

GEOGRAPHYOFAFRICA

•  Con5nent–notacountry

•  Con5nentisthree5meslargerthanEurope

•  NorthernAfrica–desert

•  Mid-to-southernAfrica–diverseclimatesandtopography

FOREIGNHISTORYINAFRICA

•  GreekscontrolledEgyptaLerconquestbyAlexandertheGreat–  Ptolemaicdynasty

•  RomansruledallareasalongtheMediterraneancoastline,includingnorthernAfrica–  Mediterranean–“Romanlake”

•  ArabtradersconvertedmanyAfricanstoIslamfromthe7thcentury

•  SourceofslavesfortheAmericasfromthe17thcentury

•  ButliTleforeigninterestintheinteriorofsub-SaharanAfrica

The“OPENINGUP”OFAFRICA•  Mid-1800s•  Missionariesandexplorers

sparkedforeigninterestinAfrica

DAVIDLIVINGSTONE(1813-1873)

•  Sco]shmissionary•  1841-1873–livedincentralAfrica

–  ExploredAfrica•  NamedLakeVictoria

aKertheBri5shqueen–  ConvertedmanyAfricansto

Chris5anity–  WrotebooksonAfricawhich

piquedforeigninterest•  1871–reported“lost”

–  “Found”byHenryStanley–  “Dr.Livingstone,Ipresume?”

HENRYSTANLEY(1841-1904)

•  Welsh-Americanreporter•  “Found”Dr.LivingstoneinAfrica

–  “Dr.Livingstone,Ipresume?”

•  ExploredAfrica–  CongoRiver–  LakeTanganyika–  LakeVictoria

•  WorkedwithBelgium’sKingLeopoldIIandhisAfricancoloniza5oncompany–  Interna5onalAfrican

Society

KARLPETERS(1856-1918)

•  GermanexplorerinAfrica•  Organizedandpropagandized

forGermany’scolonialexpansion–  FoundedtheSocietyfor

GermanColoniza5on•  AcquiredGermanEastAfrica

(modern-dayTanzania)•  ConvincedOTovonBismarckto

takeoverGermanEastAfricaandincreaseGermany’scoloniesinAfrica

CECILRHODES(1853-1902)

•  Bri5shbusinessmanandpoli5cianinsouthernAfrica

•  MadeafortunefromAfricandiamondmines•  EstablishedSouthAfricanCompany

–  LandlaterbecameRhodesia(Zimbabwe)•  PrimeministerofCapeColony(1890-1896)

–  WantedBri5shcontroloverSouthAfrica–  WantedCape-to-CairoRailroad

•  ArchitectofBri5shimperialisminsouthernAfrica–  GreatBritainbecameleadingcolonialpower

insouthernAfrica

CECILRHODES(1853-1902)

KINGLEOPOLDIIOFBELGIUM(1835-1909)•  TookoverlandincentralAfrica•  BerlinConference(1885)

–  Leopold’scontroloverCongoFreeStaterecognizedbymajorpowers

•  BelgianCongo(1908)–  Leopoldcri5cizedforthecrueltyof

hisruleintheCongo–  LeopoldforcedtosellCongoFree

StatetoBelgiangovernment–  RenamedBelgianCongo

•  CreatedEuropeanraceforAfricancolonies–“ScrambleforAfrica”–  Diamonds,foodstuffs,gold,ivory,

rubber

BRITISHINSOUTHERNAFRICA•  1815–Bri5shtookCapeColonyfromtheDutch

–  Boersmovednorth•  Transvaal

–  1886–golddiscoveredandBri5shmovedin

–  1881and1895–Bri5sha`emptedtotakeTransvaalfromtheBoers

•  OrangeFreeState•  BoerWar(1899-1892)

–  DutchledbyPresidentPaulKruger–  Bri5shwon

UNIONOFSOUTHAFRICA•  Createdin1910

•  IncludedCapeColony,OrangeFreeState,Natal,andTransvaal

•  Self-government

BRITISHCOLONIESINSOUTHERNAFRICA

•  Rhodesia(nowZimbabwe)–  NamedforCecilRhodes–  NorthofUnionofSouthAfrica

•  Bechuanaland(nowBotswana)–  1885–becameaBri5shprotectorate

•  Kenya–  1888–becameaBri5shprotectorate

BRITISHINNORTHAFRICA

•  Egypt–innameruledbyOTomanTurks,butlargelyindependent

•  Europeancapitalinvestments–  SuezCanalopenedin1869

•  BuiltbytheEgyp5ansandFrench•  TakenoverbytheBri5sh(1875)

–  Bri5shPrimeMinisterBenjaminDisraeli»  BoughtsharesinSuezCanal

CompanyfromEgypt•  Egyptwasnearly

bankruptfromtheexpenseofbuildingtheSuezCanal

»  Bri5shgovernmentbecamelargestshareholder

EUROPEANSINEGYPT

•  1870s–withtheEgyp5angovernmentbankrupt,theBri5shandFrenchtookoverfinancialcontrolofthecountry–  Egyp5anmonarchs(technicallyO`oman

viceroys)ruledaspuppetleaders•  1882–Egyp5anna5onalistrebellion

–  Francewithdrewitstroops–  GreatBritainleKincontrolofEgypt

•  LordCromerintroducedreforms–  DefactoBri5shprotectorate

•  Madeofficialin1914•  Independencecamein1922

BRITISHINNORTHERNAFRICA•  Sudan

–  AreasouthofEgypt–  UnderAnglo-Egyp5ancontrol–  CoTonneededforBri5shtex5lemills–  EntenteCordiale(1904)

•  GreatBritaincontrolledSudan•  FrancecontrolledMorocco

•  Cape-to-CairoRailroad

–  IdeaofCecilRhodes–  WouldsecureGreatBritain’sdominanceinAfrica–  Nevercompleted–sec5onsmissingthroughmodern

SudanandUganda

Cape-to-CairoRailway:CrossingoverVictoriaFalls

FRENCHINAFRICA•  Algeria

–  1830–invasion–  1831–annexa5on

•  Tunis–  1881–controlledbyFrance

•  LedItalytojointheTripleAlliancewithAustria-HungaryandGermany

•  Morocco–  1881–largepartunderFrenchcontrol–  1905and1911–nearlysparkedaEuropeanwarbetween

FranceandGermany•  1906–AlgecirasConference–Germanyrecognized

FrenchrightsinMorocco•  1911–AgadirCrisis–GermanyrecognizedFrench

protectorateoverMoroccoinexchangeforpartofFrance’sterritoryintheCongo

FRENCHINAFRICA•  Madagascar

–  1896–controlledbyFrance•  Somaliland

–  1880s–partlyunderFrenchcontrol•  WestAfrica

–  Late1800s–largelyunderFrenchcontrol•  Sudan

–  1898–metBritain’sareaofcontrolandnearlywenttowar

–  EntenteCordialeseTledBri5sh-FrenchdisputesinAfrica

FRENCHINAFRICA

•  ByWorldWarI–1914–  Francecontrolled3,250,000

squaremilesinAfrica•  145mestheareaofFrance

–  Franceruled30,000,000Africans•  75%ofthepopula5onof

France

GERMANSINAFRICA

•  Togoland(nowTogoandGhana)•  Cameroons(nowCameroonand

Nigeria)•  SouthwestAfrica(nowNamibia)•  EastAfrica(nowBurundi,

Rwanda,andTanzania)

ITALIANSINAFRICA•  1882-1896

–  Eritrea(alongtheRedSea)–  Somaliland(alongtheIndianOcean,partof

today’sSomalia)•  1896

–  DefeatedinaTempttoconquerAbyssinia(Ethiopia)

•  1912–  WonTripolifromOTomanTurks

BELGIANSINAFRICA

•  1908–  BelgiumgainedcontrolofCongo

(CongoFreeState)fromKingLeopoldII

–  LeopoldwasinfamousforthecrueltyofhisruleintheCongo

•  CongoFreeState(today’sDemocra5c

RepublicofCongo)–  805mesthesizeofBelgium–  Sourceofuranium

PORTUGUESEINAFRICA

•  Under“oldimperialism”PortugalgainedAfricanterritoryandledtheearlytrans-Atlan5cAfricanslavetrade

•  Angola

•  Mozambique

PortugueseterritoryinAfrica,1810

SPANISHINAFRICA•  SpainhadveryfewpossessionsinAfrica

•  TipofMorocco

•  RiodeOro

•  RioMuni

AFRICANSINAFRICA

•  Bythe5meoftheFirstWorldWar(1914)– Only2independentAfricancountries•  Abyssinia(Ethiopia)

–  Ruledbydynastystretchingbacktoatleastthe13thcentury

–  LastemperorwasHaileSelassie,deposedin1974–  HometoEthiopianOrthodoxChris5anChurch(strongly5edtoEgyp5anCop5cChurch)

•  Liberia–  FormedbyfreedslavesunderauspicesoftheUnitedStatesgovernment

REVIEWQUESTIONS

1.  Whatledtothe“ScrambleforAfrica”?

2.  WhichEuropeanna5onscontrolledthemostlandinAfrica?

3.  WholedBri5shimperialisminAfrica?4.  WhichAfricanna5onswereleL

independentatthe5meofWorldWarI?