Africa Notes European trade in Africa started with the Portuguese Dutch explorers founded the cape Colony on the southern tip of Africa in France later created the colony of St. Louis in today’s Senegal.

In 1880, almost all of Africa was free, no one owned it. Everything changed in the next 20 years. Ships could easily reach East Africa because of Egypt’s Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.

Leopold II of Belgium hired explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley. He built a road along the Congo River’s southern bank. He wanted to colonize the entire Congo Basin. This worried other colonial powers.

Many of them signed manipulative treaties with local tribe leaders. Soon after, they all grabbed parts of Africa to protect their colonies. Some local military, like those in French Senegal, even took over land on their own. They all wanted to control Africa’s mineral resources.

Newcomers such as Italy and Germany rushed in for their share of Africa. Discussed Africa at the Conference of Berlin in They did not care about Africans at all. Instead, they only cared about everyone having new empires to rule.

Britain’s efforts at colonizing the continent started in Britain occupied Egypt and South Africa. It wanted to protect shipping routes to Asia for trade. By the 20 th century, Britain and France controlled most of Africa. Europeans won because their soldiers were better armed and organized.

Before the colonies, the native people of Africa lived off the land and didn’t have to work. With the new colonies, people had to work and pay taxes. If they did not, then forced labor awaited them. Africans began revolting against countries that took over their country. Every time, they were crushed by stronger militaries and weapons

They would not see freedom again until after WWII in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Imperialism has left the country fighting today because of the borders of the old colonies. The borders today still reflect those of old colonies and cause many racial fights and government instability so common today.