1. The Partition of Africa
Section 16.81

2. Introduction The Dark Continent
Europeans knew little of sub Saharan and called it Dark Continent
So huge that part of Sahara is almost as large as the who N. America
Centuries Euros on knew the coast (Gold, Ivory, Slave), Nile, Niger, Congo Rivers
People black but very diverse physically, culturally (over thousand languages)
Craftsmanship in arts, bronze sculpture, gold, weaving

3. In the North was Islam; other areas were traditional religions
People lived mainly in villages, agricultural or cattle raising
Timbuktu was one great city
Ancient kingdoms were weakened by intertribal wars, slave trade
Like Ottomans, Africa came under European assault when it was in a weakened state
Before 1750 there were no white settlements in sub Saharan Africa; later, there were as many as seven million people of European descent

4. Opening of Africa Livingstone and Stanley
First opened up to missionaries, explorers and adventurers
1841 Scottish David Livingstone as a medical missionary doing humanitarian and religious work
Occasionally traded and explored (but had no economic, political aims)

5. Explored the Zambezi River and was 1st white to look at Victoria Falls
Was content to remain there but New York Herald (Yellow Journalism) sent journalist H.M. Stanley to find him and he did (Mr. Livingstone I presume)

6. Opening of Africa
Stanley saw vast economic possibilities in Africa and got the King of Belgium (king Leopold II) to back him
They founded at Brussels International Congo Association in 1878 (a private enterprise
Inland was considered terra nullius, without gov and claimed by no one (last one there is a rotten egg!)

7. Stanley concluded treaties with 500 chiefs for trinkets, yards of cloth
Other Europeans started to become interested (felt that they may miss out)
German Karl Peters concluded treaties in East Africa
French Brazza claimed the Congo River
Portuguese hoped to join Angola and Mozambique

8. Berlin Conference of 1885
Bismarck thought African colonies a waste of time but saw potential for conflict
Called for a conference
To set up territories of the Congo Association as an international state
Draft a code of governing the way European power could acquire territory

9. Congo Free State (1885) replaced ICA and was 1st of International Mandates (trusteeships for backwards peoples)
Said that Congo should not be a colony but gave administration to Leo
Congo River was internationalized, no tariff on imports, slave trade eliminated
Brussels Conference of 1889 (a continuation of Berlin Conference)
Took further steps to eliminate slavery (Muslims still doing)

10. Belgian Congo
This effort of internationalism failed b/c there was no way to enforce it
Slavery was eliminated but Leo’s desire to make Congo profitable let to horrible abuses
Europe and America demanded rubber & Congo was few places that could supply
Congolese were forced to meet quotas of sap from rubber trees or face possible death
Rubber trees were destroyed with no provision to replace them

11. Leo amassed a personal fortune but need $ and borrowed from his own govt. in 1889 and 95 and gave govt. right to annex the Congo in 1901 (which it declined)
Press revealed Draconian methods and Belgian gov took over in 1908 (year Leo died)
Congo Free State became colony (Belgian Congo)1908
Worst atrocities were eliminated
Berlin Conference had said that in order to claim land “real occupation” in the form of troops, administrators, not just paper
Within 15 years there was a Scramble to occupy land and entire continent (except Liberia, Ethiopia) were parceled out

12. Indirect Rule
Whites appeared with treaties and signed with a chief whom they gave power that he traditionally did not possess (to sell land, grant mining concessions)
They would build up the position of the chief whom they would tell what to do (indirect rule)
Chief would get them security, workmen, porter services

13. Labor Problem
Africans did not react like the free wage earner of Europe
Had little expectation of individual gain and seemed to work only sporadically (by European standards) and disdained tedious labor Euros wanted them to do
Euros resorted to forced labor
Used systems like corvee to get roads built

14. Levied hut tax of poll tax payable in money only (which required a job)
Euros would acquire so much land that whole tribe could no longer subsist on land (must become a wage earner)
Uprooted men and had them live in barracks
Gradually this mistreatment ended
Nigerians, Ugandans soon began to attend Oxford or University of Paris
20th Century saw nationalism grow vocal

15. Friction and Rivalry between the Powers
Colonial Race in Africa
war almost broke out over Africa
Portuguese annexed huge part in Angola and Mozambique, Italians took Somaliland and Eritrea but were unable to take Ethiopia
Bismarck reluctantly established colonies in East Africa and Cameroon and Togo along with German Southwest Africa

16. French dreamed of a solid belt across Africa from Dakar to Gulf of Aden
British Cecil Rhodes dreamed of a connection (RR) “from the Cape to Cairo”
He established Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)

17. The Fashoda Crisis Brits supported Egyptian claims to the upper Nile
General Kitchener with Winston Churchill under his command started southward up the Nile and defeated local Muslims in 1898 at Omdurman
kept going south until he reached Fashoda
Fashoda Crisis= showdown between Britain and France
French finally backed down (nervous about Germany) and recalled General Marchand
British hated in France

18. Cape to Cairo
1890 Cecil Rhodes, prime minister of Cape Colony, was principal sponsor of the Cape to Cairo dream but ran into independent Transvaal and Orange Free State
Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch of 1600s had made a “great trek” to escape British rule (started 1815)
Boers (Dutch for farmer), as English called them, were simple, obstinate, old fashioned

19. The South African War Diamonds were then discovered in Transvaal
Transvaal refused to pass legislation needed for mining
1895 Rhodes sent armed irregulars to start a revolution but were stopped
William II, German emperor, congratulated president Paul Kruger of Transvaal, for defeating the bully British

20. 1899 British went to war
S. African (Boer) War lasted until 1902
300 thousand Brits found elusive enemy
They resorted to ravaging the country, concentrations camps where 20 thousand died
Once fighting stopped British, 2 states were united as Union of S. Africa and given semi independent status
War left British very unpopular in Europe

21. Embittered International Relations
Squabbling over Africa left bad feeling b/t powers and paved way for WWI