1. Pamela Hammond Brantley County High School AP World History 2008-2009
Imperialism in Africa
Pamela Hammond
Brantley County High School
AP World History

2. New African Kingdoms (1750-1914)
Zulu
Southern Africa
led by Shaka
gained national identity and new kingdom
Well organized fighting force…most feared in Africa
held own against British years later
Sokoto Caliphate
Western Africa (Nigeria)
replaces Hausa and Songhai Empire
strongly Muslim, opposed to lax incorporation of local traditions
enforced “jihad” to cleanse empire
encouraged education…center for Islamic learning
Egypt and Ethiopia modernize
Ethiopia retains Christian background,
import European knowledge, guns, industry…
able to ward off occupation by Europe until WWII

3. End of Slave Trade in Africa??
By 1809 US and Br had ended the importation of slaves
Br. tried to keep other countries from taking slaves from Africa
Africans turned to Muslims to sell slaves…transported to East Africa
Used slaves within Africa to operate new industries in palm oil
Niger plantation life just has harsh as American plantations if not worse

4. “Let’s Go Legit”
African rulers looking to supplement their income due to the dwindling slave trade turned to trade in gold, ivory, and palm oil
Palm oil used for soaps, candles and lubricants in European markets
Ads used to encourage hygiene and sanitation while in Africa
Notice “White Man’s Burden” remark
Niger Delta main location for palm oil trade
Traded for manufactured goods from Europe

5. Why Europeans were not interested in Africa until 19th c.
Europeans considered Africa the Dark Continent.
So many geographical barriers e.g. thick forests.
Tropical diseases such as Malaria.
Transportation difficulties e.g. couldn’t use horses due to Tse Tse flies.
Scientific discoveries made it easy to live in Africa (see picture)
Explorations also made Africa known to the world
This led to the scramble for Africa
Cinchona tree. Scientists discovered quinine, the cure for Malaria from this tree.

6. Dark Continent Revealed
Adventurous explorers & geographic societies sought to uncover the mysteries of inner Africa,
esp. the course of the main rivers
curious about what mineral wealth may lie inside Africa
David Livingstone (Scot) doctor, missionary
explored southern and central Africa
Zambezi R…Victoria Falls…Congo River
Henry Stanley (Am) journalist went in search of Livingstone when lost touch
explored Nile, Congo
claimed Congo for Belgium (King Leopold II)
Henry Stanley
David Livingstone

7. “Dr. Livingstone I presume”

8. Extent of European Control by 1880
There had been European possessions in Africa since the 16th century
mainly connected with the slave trade
small coastal areas around trading ports.
Before 1880 only 10% of Africa was controlled by European Powers:
colonies dotted along the coast of West Africa (from the defunct slave trade),
settlements in southern Africa by Dutch, English & (long held) Portuguese, and
Algeria in the north, conquered by the French.

9. And then…the “Scramble for Africa”
Most visible example of new imperialism
New imperialism not based on settlement of colonies
European powers worked to directly govern large areas occupied by non-European peoples
Driven by economic interests, political competition, cultural motives

10. “New Imperialism” Political Competition Nationalism a Factor
Imperialism in Africa reflected struggles for power in Europe, such as long-term rivalry between France, Britain
France expanded control over West, Central Africa; Britain began to expand colonial empire to block French
Nationalism a Factor
Rise of Germany, Italy as powers contributed to the new imperialism
Both nations jumped into race for colonization to assert status
Nationalism also contributed to rise of new imperialism
European leaders believed controlling colonies would gain them more respect from other leaders

11. Cultural Motives Cultural Motives Rule Justified
In addition to practical matters of economics and politics, the new imperialism was motivated by cultural attitudes.
European imperialists felt superior to non-European peoples
Some began to argue humanity divided into distinct peoples, races
Claimed biological differences existed between races
Racist view—people of European descent superior to people of African, Asian descent
Cultural Motives
As result, some Europeans believed rule in Africa justified
Teaching Africans good government
Some imperialists believed actions noble, their duty to educate those considered inferior
Referred to their influence in Africa as “the white man’s burden,” after poem by Rudyard Kipling
Rule Justified

12. Justification Darwin Social Darwinism Cecil Rhodes
Defenders of imperialism often applied Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection to struggle between nations, races
Darwin argued species more fit for environment will survive, reproduce
Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism notion stated certain nations, races more fit than others
Social Darwinists believed “fit” nations came to rule over “less fit” nations, often showed discrimination against citizens of ruled nations
Cecil Rhodes
Social Darwinism advocate Cecil Rhodes, “I contend that we are the finest race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better…”
Believed British-built railway would bring benefits of civilization to all Africans

13. King Leopold II, Belgium & the Congo
1870s Henry Stanley, convinced the king to use his own money to open up Equatorial Africa, establish trading posts along the south bank of the Congo River
Stanley used a combination of promises, threats and trickery when meeting a new chief,
attached a buzzer to his hand which was linked to a battery
When the chief shook hands with Stanley he got a mild electric shock. This device convinced the chiefs that Stanley had superhuman powers.
The agreements allowed the Belgians into the Congo to take its rich natural resources. 
1880--France laid a claim to the region as well by establishing an alliance with the African ruler to create a “protectorate” of France
Disagreements ensue

14. Belgium's King Leopold II (far left) soon took control, reaping fabulous personal profits through the sale of land and development rights. Scandalously little was reinvested in schools like the one shown here.
A man who exploited Congo's resources (rubber) and contributed to up to 10 million deaths due to overwork and disease.
"He left us in poverty. He exploited our raw materials and left us with nothing."

15. The Great Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel
Britain in Egypt
1882—Egypt fails to pay debts from Suez Canal
Takes over Egypt
builds up country,
builds Aswan Dam on Nile at the turn of the century
helps control flooding
improves agriculture.
Push south and took over the Sudan
Battle of Omdurman (1898): General Horatio H. Kitchener defeated Sudanese tribesman and killed 11,000 (use of machine gun) while only 28 Britons died
Four Feathers
The Kiosk of Trajan is in the foreground, while the Temple of Isis is at the right rear. The reservoir of the first Aswan Dam flooded the complex for much of each year.
The Great Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel

16. Berlin Conference 1884-1885 Called by Otto von Bismarck
Br, Fr, Ger, It, Bel, Port meet (Africa absent)
Western powers lay the rules for dividing up Africa
establish the principle of "effective occupation" to claim territory
They made the Congo a free trade zone
Outlawed slavery and the slave trade that the Arabs and Africans were still practicing.
“Paper Partition”
led to the GREAT PUSH into the interior reaches of the continent by competing European armies.
Ignored traditional tribal boundaries …would create problems later

17. Berlin Conference

18. Name the only countries not controlled by a European power.
Liberia (US)
Ethiopia

19. The Story of South Africa
Cape of Good Hope founded by Portuguese
Dutch take over Cape…establish Cape Colony/Cape Town…vibrant trade…Dutch farmers move in (Boers or Afrikaners) to take adv. of excellent soil and climate
British take control over coastal areas…Boers move inland in a journey known as the Great Trek (diamonds, gold, and copper later found)
1868 diamonds discovered in Kimberly—big rush to acquire…Br. move into the interior to take control by 1871
Zulus unhappy of British encroachment…taking grazing land…WAR…Br. won but barely…Zulu nationalism intensifies

20. Zulu War, 1879

21. Enter Cecil Rhodes
“From the Cape to Cairo”….“I’d annex the planets if I could.”
Fortune made in diamonds (De Beers)…pushes northward and conquers more and more land…names for self Rhodesia (Zimbabwe & Zambia)
Boer/Afrikaner discontent continues to grow when Br. tries to take over their territory…
Orange Free State and Transvaal
rich in gold, diamonds, coal and iron
Rhodes Scholarship

22. First Boer War 1880-81: Gold discovered late 1800s
Boers refused to grant political rights to foreigners
British immigrants move into Boer territory demand more land and privileges
Boers had had enough
imported modern guns…employed guerrilla warfare (Ger. allied with Boers…hoped to gain more land)
The Transvaal Boers defeated the British in the first Anglo-Boer War (also called the Anglo-Transvaal War).

24. Second Boer War :
The UK defeated the Boers in the second Anglo-Boer War (the South African War).
Boers use guerrilla warfare again
The British found themselves at a disadvantage, due to the size of the territory, lack of familiarity with the terrain and the mobility and skills of the "Boers".
In an effort to bring the war to an end, the British responded with a scorched-earth policy. This included burning down the farms and homes of the "Boers", and putting their women and children in concentration camps.
Some 26,000 "Boer" women and children and 14,000 black and colored people were to die in appalling conditions. took over all of So. Africa

25. British Concentration Camps

26. End of the Boer Wars
British win and consolidate their lands in South Africa
Eventually South Africa is given autonomy (1913)
Most of the white settlers in South Africa are Dutch, but the land is owned by Britain
Most of the population is black
Minority, white dominated, government establishes system of “Apartheid”
Complete separation of the races
Non-whites made into second class citizens in their own land
Stays in place until 1996 when international pressure forces South Africa to eliminate Apartheid

27. Scramble for Africa Consequences Traditional way of life disrupted
Pastoral and warrior traditions
Grazing lands depleted
Most Africans were little affected until Christianity went against traditions  Islam gains grounds
Economic exploitation of Africans
Africans saw Europeans as rivals for profits
Resistance movements failed
European racism imported into Africa
Spread of European culture
Christian mission school educate African children
Spread of Western technology
Guns change warfare (violence increases, greater devastation)
Rise of African Nationalism