AS91436 Study Guide: The Berlin Conference (1884–85)

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the causes, key participants, outcomes, and consequences of the Berlin Conference (1884–85) for NCEA Level 3 History.

Berlin West Africa Conference

An international diplomatic conference held from 15 November 1884 to 26 February 1885, hosted by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck to establish rules for European trade and colonisation in Africa, also known as the Congo Conference.

General Act of Berlin

The official treaty agreed upon in February 1885 that established free trade in the Congo basin, free navigation on the Congo and Niger rivers, effective occupation rules, suppression of the slave trade, and recognition of the International Association of the Congo.

Effective Occupation

A principle of the General Act of Berlin requiring European powers claiming coastal territory in Africa to demonstrate a real, physical administrative presence rather than merely planting a flag.

Otto von Bismarck

The German Chancellor who hosted the 1884–1885 Berlin Conference alongside France to peacefully settle territorial rivalries in the Congo basin and expand German diplomatic standing.

King Leopold II

The King of the Belgians whose personal territorial ambitions and treaty claims in the Congo basin triggered the Berlin Conference, where his personal control over the Congo Free State was recognized.

International African Association

An organization founded by King Leopold II in 1876 following a geographical conference in Brussels, presented as a scientific and anti-slavery body that served as cover for his colonial ambitions in the Congo.

Henry Morton Stanley

An explorer hired by King Leopold II who mapped the Congo River between the late 1870s and 1884, signed hundreds of treaties with local chiefs, established stations and roads, and founded Leopoldville in 1881.

Henry Sanford

A former American envoy to Belgium who lobbied the United States government on behalf of King Leopold II, securing U.S. recognition for the International Association of the Congo in April 1884.

Pierre de Brazza

A French explorer who negotiated an 1880 treaty with the Makoko on the north bank of the Congo River, leading to the ratification of the treaty in 1882 and the establishment of Brazzaville to rival Leopold's claims.

Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of February 1884

An unratified agreement in which Britain agreed to recognize Portugal's historic claims to the mouth of the Congo River in exchange for commercial and anti-slavery concessions, alarming rival powers like France and Germany.

Legitimate Commerce

The trade in agricultural products and raw materials, such as palm oil, that was promoted by Europeans in Africa after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

The Long Depression (1873)

A European economic crisis characterized by falling prices and rising protective tariffs that pushed European businesses and governments to seek protected overseas markets and raw materials.

Congo Free State

A territory recognized by the Berlin Conference in 1885 as the personal possession of King Leopold II rather than a Belgian colony, known for violent, state-sponsored rubber and resource extraction.

Force Publique

King Leopold II's military force in the Congo Free State, which carried out severe violent enforcement of rubber quotas, including hostage-taking and mutilations.

Casement Report (1904)

An investigative report documenting widespread atrocities, forced labour, and population decline in the Congo Free State, which fueled the Congo Reform Association and led Belgium to take over the colony in 1908.

Matadi to Leopoldville Railway

An extraction-focused railway built in the 1890s past the Congo River rapids to connect interior rubber, ivory, and mineral resources directly to coastal export ports.

Walter Rodney

The historian who authored How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972), arguing that European colonial exploitation actively prevented local industrial development and created long-term economic dependence.

Second Industrial Revolution (c. 1870–1914)

A period of rapid technological and industrial expansion in Europe that significantly increased the demand for raw industrial materials from Africa, including rubber, palm oil, cotton, and copper.