FINAL EXAM (global 10 )

Content: 2nd Semester (Africa - Latin America)

Escarpment

• Reason for many of Africa’s lakes 
• Valley created by the convergence of tectonic plates 

Great Rift Valley

Largest Escarpment in Africa, Eastern Coast of Africa 

• Olduvai Gorge located here

Benguela current

• Affects the Western coast of Southern Africa
  • Specifically the climate 
• Makes the climate very dry as the current is very cold
• As a result there is a coastal desert in southwest Africa 

tribal marks

• Markings on the faces of tribes people 
• Mostly practiced in the Yoruba group
• Showed the social class/standing and tribal membership

Nilotic peoples

• People dependent on the Nile 
• Live in the ‘horn’ of Africa 

Nok culture (Jos Plateau)

• Developed in the Jos Plateau 
  • Nigeria 
• Dependent on Iron work 
• Bantu language group 
• Advanced trade, traded with the North and the Mediterranean and other surrounding areas 

“Sudan”

• Region in West Africa where kingdoms like Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were developed 
• Developed around Niger and Senegal rivers 
• Flourished due to the Trans-saharan trade 
• Very rich in resources 
• Strong military and central government 
• Middlemen 
  • Offered protection to pass their land and travel to the North 
• Introduced Islam in a large scale way 

Kush

• Southern part of the Nile 
• One of Africa’s first civilizations was developed here 
• Agriculture was practiced
  • Limited information about this place 
• Luxury for upper class and merchants in middle class

Olduvai Gorge

• In great rift valley 
• Human life form discovered here in 1959 dating back 1.75 million years 
• Archaeological site in Tanzania 

Axum (Aksum)

• Present day Ethiopia 
• Oldest civilization on Earth 
• Origin story connects to King Solomon 
• Adjacent to the Red Sea
• Christian Kingdom 
• Traders, became very wealthy 

Trans-Saharan trade

• Vast network of trade throughout the North, Saharan, and Nok parts of Africa 
• Various goods were exchanged and this process also led to the exchange of cultural ideas 
• Sudanic kingdoms (mainly Ghana) controlled this 

Ghana

• Sudanic Kingdom
• Had lots of good resources like gold 
  • Allowing them to participate a lot and earn profit in the trade 
• Developed on the Niger river 
• Tributes were paid to this kingdom 
• Controlled the gold flow 

Mali

• Replaced Ghana 
• In its greatest stage 
• Expanded a lot 
• Cities were the main cities of wealth 
  • Many cities created at this time are still around
• Grew many crops 
• Mansa Musa ruled during this time 
  • Administrative and religious 
  • Controlled the taxes 
• Wealthiest empire in african history 

Songhai

• Purely islamic kingdom 
• Leaders used islam to unify the kingdom 
• Expanded far to the East 
• About the size of US and largest empire in African history 

Al-Bakri

• Arab historian who detailed events and the history of Ghana 
  • From the Arab perspective 

Sundiata

• Ruled Mali 
• Wealthy ruler 
• Greatly expanded 
• Captured some gold mines in South Africa 

Mansa Musa

• One of the most wealthy and powerful leaders 
• Very religious, encouraged and promoted the creation of mosques and the study of Islam 
  • Adopted Islam as the imperial faith 
  • Proven by Hajj that he performed 

Kilwa, Mogadishu,etc

• Along the coast, important city-states that developed 
• Vast trading ports 
• Many gold deposits 
• Traded all sorts of goods 
• Initially Bantu Speakers

Great Zimbabwe

• Major civilization 
• Not much known 
• Believed to speak Shona a subdivision of Bantu 
• Showed sophistication and knowledge of technology through their houses which were built of stone 
• Traded, advanced agriculture, 
• British most likely forced them into a decline

Swahili

• Major language group
• Mix of Bantu and Arabic 
• Mainly spoken on eastern Africa

Khosian (“click”)

• Another major language group 
• Spoken through clicking sounds 
• Spoken in South Africa 

Middle Passage

• Movement of Africans across the Atlantic 
• Were tightly packed in a ship for an extended period of time
• Inhumanely treated and terrible conditions 
• Disease was the main cause of death for enslaved people 

Senegambia

• Major source of enslaved people 
• As well as Sierra Leone 
• Large source were the bights
  • Looks like a bite was taken out of Africa 
• Ashanti and Yoruba tribes would capture and enslave and sell people 

“Gold Coast”

Large area in Ghana where many slaves were taken 

Dahomey (Togo and Benin) “Slave Coast”

Major area in Africa where slaves were taken from

factory forts

• Produced enslaved people 
• Slaves were held here and so when slave sellers from other places came they would just take those being held in these forts
• More efficient as they could fill their ship in just one trip

shore method

• Main way that African people were taken from Africa 
• Enslaved were brought by other Africans 
• Europeans did not venture into Africa, they remained on the coast 
• Saved financial resources, the more you take the more that will probably live 

triangle trade

• System by which africans were brought to the Americas/New World 
• Raw materials would be harvested by the slaves and taken to Europe and Europe would supply Africa with guns 

“Scramble for Africa”

• 1885 
• An imperialist race
• Where several european countries, ex: France, Britain, etc. began to colonize and take over Africa 
• They realized how many natural resources were abundant in this continent 
  • Additionally, it gave them a labor force for their industries 
• Aside from this, these colonies also aided the countries during the world wars 

Missionaries

• When slavery began to expand to East Africa, they arrived to stop the spread of slavery and convert as many people to Christianity 
• Played a major role in convincing powers to colonize areas to better facilitate conversion to Christianity 

trading companies

• Like the Dutch East India Company and British East India Company 
• Established in Europe to facilitate trade in Africa 
• They were created due to the possibility of financial risk which was distributed among shareholders 

Indirect rule

Where the colonizing countries imposed their rules through local leadership, used often in SSA

Direct Rule

Where the colonizing country sent many people from the colonizing country to the colony to directly impose their rule

Assimilation

• Where the colonizers forced the members of the colony to conform to their rules, language, and culture
• This was seen with Algeria as France was trying to create a ‘second’ France here 

“White Man’s Burden”

• Idea enforcing that the white people were superior in comparison to others 
• It was the White man’s duty, as they were more civilized and educated, to colonize and bring ideas of civilization to these various countries. 

Social Darwinism

• Ideology enforcing that some people were just more fit to survive than others
• Led to enforce the ideology of the White Man’s burden

Berlin Conference, 1884

• No African nations present 
• Several nations present (Europeans)
• Where countries discussed colonization of Africa 

Dutch East India Co, 1652

• Joint stock, trading company 
• Reached South Africa in 1652 
• Originally to establish a refreshment port on their way to another area 
• The Mediterranean climate was very appealing and then the realization that there were many natural resources 

Afrikaners

People mainly of Dutch ancestry, but also connections to the French Huguenotes 

Khoikhoi

• The native group already living in the Cape Colony 
• They spoke Khoisan 

Boers

• Afrikaners who participated in the Great Trek 
• Were farmers and pastoralists (relating to cattle)

Afrikaans

Mix of Khoisan and Afrikaans 

“Cape Colony”

• Colony established by the Dutch 
• British eventually came to take possession of the colony 
• Mediterranean climate and lots of grazing land for pastoralists and good land for farmers 

Xhosa

• Cultural Group
• Boers encountered them as they moved inward of the Cape Colony
• 9 wars were fought over a century over the use of grazing land

Great Trek (1835-46)

• Movement of the Boers from South Africa, moving up North to escape the British 
• They moved into the Transvaal, Orange Free State, and Natal 
• United the Boers
• Battle of Blood River occurred

Voortrekkers

Boers that participated in the Great Trek 

Battle of Blood River (1838)

• Boers vs Zulu, Boers at a disadvantage but still won 
• British began to move inland, so Boers were pushed bank
• Battle took place in Natal which has a large Zulu population 

Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)

• Boers vs British 
• As gold and silver were found in the North, this attracted the colonizing power even more 
• The British decided they wanted to control all of South Africa
• Also because the Boers practiced slavery and British outlawed it in the 1830s, it created tension 
• It was a very ugly war 
  • Using guerrilla tactics 
• Boers accepted defeat and Transvaal, Orange Free State, and Natal were now under British possession 
• Boers were still living in these areas though 

Lord Kitchener

• British military leader 
• Used extremely brutal tactics 
• Created concentration camps 

Transvaal, Orange Free State, Natal

• States that the Boers fled to during the Great Trek 
• British gained control of these areas after Anglo Boer War 
• Gained independence in 1910 

Mines and Work Act (1911)

• Where Bantus would only be given menial tasks and very low jobs 
• Limited to mainly digging minerals for white people 

Native Land Act (1913)

• Restricted blacks to only purchase certain plots of land, typically wasn’t very good land 
• Blacks were taken out of their home for an extended period of time to work as miners in a different area 
• Eventually deprived of all political power 

African National Congress (ANC)

• Formed in 1912
• First just a symbolic resistance movement 
• Split in 1959 to create Pan African Conference 
• The split led to the Sharpeville Massacre 
  • This lead to ANC getting banned 
• It went underground and led to the start of the black consciousness movement 
• Relegalized in the 1980s 

National Party (1948)

• Dominated by the Afrikaners 
• Strictly enforced and wanted Apartheid rule 
• Gained power in 1948 
  • Immediately began to pass discriminatory legislature beginning to restrict the rights of the black people 
• Aimed to deepen Apartheid and get rid of any British influence 
• Unlike other African countries, after WW2 this country became further oppressed but it wasn’t under foreign rule 

Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo

• Began to resist as National Party began to pass harsher and harsher laws 
• Initially resisted through nonviolent protests like boycotts
• 1952 - urged Africans to disregard Apartheid rule 
  • Defiance campaign
• Nelson Mandela 
  • Arrested, later became PM 
• Oliver Tambo 
  • Arrested but then released at the end of Apartheid rule 

Sharpeville Massacre, 1960

• 69 deaths 
• Due to the split between ANC and PAC 
• PAC led a peaceful protest against the pass system, where they did not wear their passes 
• A large group went to the police and they opened fire on them 
• ANC and PAC was banned after this 

black consciousness movement

• Created by Steven Biko 
• Attempted to contribute to the growing sense of black identity 
• Sparked by the banning of ANC and PAC 
• Wanted to develop a positive image for Africans and allow them to decide their own future 
• Led to Soweto

Soweto, 1976

• Youth led protests
• Students revolted against the teaching of Afrikaans and they would rather be taught the native languages 
• Many died, protests lasted around a year 
• Brought international attention to this issue 

Pieter Botha

• Warned white Africans that they needed to adapt or die if they did not respect the black Africans
• Supported reform but not total political rights 

Frederick deKlerk

• Politician, president of SA 
• Dismantled Apartheid 
• Legalized ANC
• Released Mandela 

Bantustans

Reservation like areas where the Bantus were forced to move to 

economic sanctions

• Imposed by the world as they realized that the Apartheid government and treatment of the indigenous groups was very inhumane 
• This pressured them to stop 

Mesoamerica

•  begins in the southern part of North America and extends to most of Central America
• most well-known Mesoamerican cultures are the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Teotihuacan, Mixtec, and Aztec
• Area around modern day Mexico, including the Yucatan Peninsula. Maize was grown there as early as 5000 BCE. Cacao was prized in this area. Mayan and Aztec cultures grew there.

Yucatan Peninsula

• separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea
• Adjacent to Belize and Guatemala
• Area of modern-day Mexico including modern day Mexico. Mayan Civilization arose near this area. As the population of the Mayan civilization grew, more people moved to the North, into this area.

Maize

Type of corn grown in Mesoamerica. It was grown there as early as 5000 BCE.

Maya

• This civilization arose in the area south of the Yucatan peninsula.
• Land had been cultivated.
• The urban development of this civilization’s cities had clear class divisions. 
• This civilization had hieroglyphs, and they used them to create a calendar. 
• Records were kept, but many were destroyed by the Spanish after their arrival. 
  • Some records were kept on stone, which are the only surviving ones today. 
  • They also discovered complex patterns in the stars.
• Technologically advanced, kings were very powerful and rich
• Society’s wealth grew, leading to a middle class made up of traders and artisans
• The majority of the population was agricultural, working on chinampas. There were clear gender divisions in society. Noblewomen did have some limited roles in politics and religion. The society of this civilization was polytheistic, and gods were ranked in order of importance. 
• Cities were built around ceremonial pyramids, a shrine to the gods
  • Temples and palaces were near the pyramids. Sacred ball courts were also near the pyramids. 
•  As the population grew, more people moved to the North
  • Overcrowding forced farmers to shift from slash-and-burn agriculture to settled agriculture

Tikal

• Mayan urban center
• was one of the biggest urban centers, and may have had over 100,000 inhabitants.

Stelae

Stone monuments constructed by the Mayans dedicated to kings. The Mayan people could pray at these monuments to bless the kings.

Cacao

Significant plant in Mayan civilization. Mesoamerica was a source of these plants, prized as a beverage for the upper class. Cocoa beans from these plants were often used as currency.

bajos (similar to chinampas)

Raised fields used in Mayan civilization for growing crops in the swamplands of Mesoamerica. They were similar to the chinampas of the Aztec kingdom.