A.

The European Scramble for West Africa

After the emergence of legitimate commerce in place of the slave trade, European merchants had been increasingly interested in gaining control
over the trading system of the West African interior. Indeed, by the 1870s, they pushed up the major rivers of the Western coastline. But they generally
still recognized African authority and operated through alliances with local African rulers. Moreover their incursion into West Africa was generally
confined to small coast of towns. For instance, the French had pushed up the Senegal valley and the British controlled Sierra Leone and a small coastal
colony at logos.
Between 1880 and 1900, however, this Euro- West African contact had completely changed. In fact, by the end of the century, a massive colonial
onslaught known as the European “Scramble for Africa” had brought most of West Africa within the sphere of same European colonial empire. But what
were the important causes which led to this dramatic turn of events?
This European imperialism had been explained by different reasons mainly economic ones:
1. The economic competition between the European powers during the late 19 th centering or during the growth of European capitalism was
considered as a major factor for empire build in West Africa. Indeed, with the growth of industrial capitalism Europeans needed territories to
invest capital and were obliged to annex these territories and order to protect their investments.
2. Trade competition was also considered as a more important competed for palm-oil, the West Africa’s major export. They also feared that their
competitors might hamper their advance after annexing a section of that region. This all of them asked their government to annex territories so as
to have protected trade zones of their own.
3. In addition, the rapid European technological, military…medical development as a result of the industrial revolution gave them the force to
conquer territories in West Africa.
4. It is also important to note that the colonists were able to exploit traditional and longstanding rivalries between West Africa states. In fact, some
West African rulers accepted a European alliance “Treaty of Protection” they believe that it would protect them from their traditional enemies. But
it was only their traditional enemies had been brutally conquered that the Implications of European “Protection” become clear.
The European “scramble” for African territories threatened to bring about an armed clash between the Europeans rivals, the fact which led to
the call for a European conference to settle their disputes.
B. The Berlin Conference:
The Berlin conference (1884- 1885) was called by, Bismarck, the German Leader. It was an attempt by European leaders to add some kind of
international European agreement to the carving of Africa that was already under way. It did not decide on any colonial boundaries but it settled
two important principals:
1. It decided that the navigation of the Niger River would be free for the merchant’s ships of all the nations without exception. It also recognized
the British protectorate over the Niger districts.
2. It argued that European claim to any part of Africa would only be recognized by other European government if it was “effectively occupied” by
that particular European power. Thus, this conference encouraged the European domination of West Africa.

C. The Partition of West Africa :

As stated before, the conquest of West Africa was stimulated by the terms of the Berlin conference which insisted that European powers
should effectively occupied a territory before they could claim sovereignty over it. Consequently, the European powers hastened to formalize their
existing if formal relations and partitioned West Africa territories between themselves. In fact, in 1885, Bismarck soon proclaimed German
Protectorate over the Cameron and Togo land. The French acquired Senegal and Dahomey, while the British declared their oil river protectorate
under granted a charter to Goldie’s Company (the Royal Niger Company). They also advanced into the Yoruba-land interior and most of the
hinterlands of Nigeria.