Africa before colonisation

Before European colonisation, the vast majority

of the African continent was under African rule.
Africa was ruled by
Africans

Originally, Europeans traded with Africans for the

resources they needed.
However, Europeans would eventually begin to
colonise, or take over, land and resources in Africa.

Before 1880, Europe had colonized only 5% of

 The Scramble Begins
1880s- the colonisation of Africa rapidly increased.
Several factors led to the colonization boom.
– Discovery of quinine: effective treatment for
malaria
– Search for raw materials
– Growth of nationalism in Europe: several
European
countries became engaged in a growing colonial
rivalry with each other.
– Christian missionaries: wanted to spread their
beliefs
among the African people
 Berlin Conference
Introduction to the Berlin 1884
Conference
•At the time of the Berlin conference, only certain coastal
areas were occupied by European powers
•Before this period Europeans were hesitant to move into
the interior of the continent for various reasons
•Industrial Revolution (1750-1850) created the need for
cheap labour, raw materials and new markets
Colonialism- The occupation and control of one nation by
another.
Beginning in the early 19th Century, Europeans aggressively
tried to establish colonies in Africa.

Colony is when a nation establishes a government under its

rule in a foreign territory.

Colonies became part of the European country’s empire.

- i.e. France used to have many colonies in Africa

The colonisation of Africa became known as

the “Scramble for Africa”.
Africa was divided up into 46 colonies
Berlin Conference
1884

6
Miss G Johannes History Grade 8
 Berlin Conference 1884
• To avoid armed conflict with each other, leaders of
several European countries met at the Berlin Conference
in 1884, in Germany.
– Therefore, in 1884, at the request of Portugal,
German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck called the
major Western powers to a meeting to discuss the
fate of Africa
– No Africans rulers were invited
• European powers agreed to carve up Africa into vast
empires, ignoring the rights of the African people
already living in these areas.
 An Overview
The interior of Africa had been explored by Europeans.
The availability of cheap raw materials and land was attractive to
industrialised European countries

Competition between European Europe used its financial and

colonial powers military superiority to
sparked the “Scramble for Africa” impose itself on Africa

At the Berlin Conference (1884), new colonial “possessions” were

created, supposedly in the interests of Christianity and “civilisation”

By 1913, only Liberia and Ethiopia remained fully independent

Berlin Conference 1884
7 European countries:
– Britain
– France
– Germany
– Portugal
– Belgium
– Spain
– Italy
World Map
 Berlin Conference 1884
Main purpose:
- Lay down rules for the division of Africa
- European countries wanted to establish colonies because of
raw materials (gold, diamonds, copper, tin, rubber, peanuts,
cacao, palm oil known as CASH CROPS)
- Grow cash crops = crops that are grown to be sold for profit
 Introduction to the Berlin 1884
Berlin Conference Conference
continued

•The result of the conference was that Africa was divided

amongst the European powers like Germany, France,
Spain, Portugal, Italy and Britain

•All the countries signed an agreement on the division,

and this agreement was called the Berlin Act

•At the time of the Berlin Conference, 80% of Africa was

autonomous, or self controlled under local or traditional
leadership.

•The conference lasted 3 months, during which they

negotiated new boundaries
 The Berlin Act
Berlin Act 1884
•The Berlin Act of 26, included the following:
→ Any European country, taking over a country in Africa,
should notify the others. If not, take over would not be
recognised
→ European countries controlling the coast in Africa would
be responsible for the surrounding areas
→ Europeans could now divide Africa without consulting
the Africans themselves
→ Any European country taking over a country in Africa,
should allow other European countries to do business in
that country
→ All European countries would have free trade in Congo,
Lake Niassa, Niger and the Congo rivers
 Results of the Berlin Conference
Introduction to the Berlin Conference
1884
continued

• By 1900, most of Africa had been colonized by the

Europeans.
• Only Liberia and the Empire of Ethiopia remained
independent.
• Liberia was established by the USA, a place where free slaves
could live.
• Ethiopia, had a powerful military and the environment
helped ward off attacks by Europeans.
• The new countries lacked reason and divided coherent
groups of people and merged together disparate groups who
really did not get along.
 Results of the Berlin Conference
Introduction to the Berlin Conference
1884
continued

•At the end of the colonisation period, European powers

had fully divided Africa up into 50 countries.

•These imposed boundaries, resulted in a confused

mixture of peoples from different societies or indigenous
peoples, merging, now living together, as one nation, or..

•Kingdoms that were once one group, now had

different nationalities

NO AFRICAN LEADER WAS PRESENT AT THE CONFERENCE, OR

NEGOTIATIONS…