AP World History - South/East Africa

AP World: South/East Africa

Introduction

  • This note focuses on East and South Africa within the AP World History framework.

  • Aims to connect historical dots from the beginning to the end of the course.

Geographical Overview

  • East Africa: Includes the coast along the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea near the Arabian Peninsula.

  • Southern Africa: Where modern-day South Africa is, plus countries south of the Democratic Republic of Congo like Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia.

The Era of State Building (1200-1450)

  • General Context: Decentralized regions with kinship-based ties.

  • Great Zimbabwe:

    • Major State in Southern Africa, built by the Shona people (largest ethnic group in modern Zimbabwe).

    • Europeans initially doubted its African origins, attributing it to European influence, but historians and archaeologists confirmed its African origin.

    • Economy focused on cattle raising and mining (gold and iron).

    • Connected to Swahili city-states along the coast, involved in Indian Ocean trade.

Eastern Africa - Aksum (Ethiopia)

  • Aksum: Growing state in Eastern Africa, known today as Ethiopia.

  • Christianity: Spread from the Mediterranean, through Egypt, into Ethiopia.

  • Leaders legitimized their rule through monumental architecture and religion, building iconic churches.

Rise of Trade Networks

  • Indian Ocean Trade Network:

    • Swahili city-states on the East African coast connected with inland states like Great Zimbabwe.

    • Linked to Arabian Peninsula, India, Southeast Asian states (Srivijaya, Majapahit), and Song Dynasty in China.

  • Maritime Trade:

    • Allowed for larger quantities of goods and more efficient movement.

Indian Ocean Trade Dynamics

  • Early Reliance on Monsoon Winds:

    • Trade heavily depended on understanding monsoon winds.

  • Arrival of Latin Sails and New Technologies:

    • Enabled sailing against the winds.

Emergence of Powerful Trading Cities

  • East African Coastal Cities:

    • Kilwa, Mozambique, Mogadishu exported items from the interior of Africa and back into the Indian Ocean network.

Goods and Religion in the Indian Ocean Network

  • African Exports:

    • Iron, ivory, and animal skins.

  • Religious Exchange:

    • Islam spread into parts of East Africa.

    • Ethiopia maintained a sizable Christian population.

Introduction of New Crops

  • Bananas: Introduced to Africa from Indonesia.

Impact of New Foods

  • Bananas: Good source of vitamins and antioxidants, leading to more food and supporting larger populations.

The Era of Large Land-Based and Maritime Empires (1450-1750)

  • Limited Impact in Africa:

    • The development of large land-based empires in South and East Africa was not significant during this period.

    • The Ottoman Empire expanded along the Red Sea, including some lands in Eastern Africa.

Influence of Maritime Empires

  • Maritime Empires Bypassing Islamic Empires:

    • European maritime empires, seeking to bypass Islamic-controlled trade routes, landed in Africa.

Portuguese Exploration

  • Early Leaders:

    • The Portuguese were early leaders in exploring sea routes to the Indian Ocean for spices.

  • Key Figures:

    • Bartholomew Dias reached the tip of South Africa (Cape of Good Hope).

    • Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape and reached India.

Dutch Influence

  • Dutch East India Company:

    • Established maritime empires and sailed to the Indian Ocean.

    • Used areas in Southern and Eastern Africa as pit stops.

  • Cape Colony:

    • Most famously, the Dutch established the Cape Colony in South Africa.

Joint Stock Company

  • Dutch East India Company:

    • Chartered by the monarch in the Netherlands as a joint-stock company.

Slavery in Africa

  • Traditional Forms:

    • Continued in its traditional forms, including incorporating slaves into households and exporting slaves to different regions like the Indian Ocean.

  • Shift to Atlantic Slave Trade:

    • Increased interaction with Europeans led to the evolution of slave labor into the Atlantic slave trade, with the exportation and trafficking of Africans to the New World.

The Columbian Exchange

  • Exchange of Goods:

    • Included African foods like okra and rice being brought to the Americas.

    • American crops being brought to Africa.

  • Benefits for Africa:

    • Populations in Africa benefited from the nutritional goods found in the Americas in food crops like the potato and the tomato.

The Age of Industry and Imperialism (1750-1900)

  • Industrial Revolution:

    • European nations sought raw materials from Africa, which is resource-rich.

Resource Exploitation in Africa

  • Geographic Blessing Becomes a Curse:

    • Africa's rich resources led to exploitation by imperialists.

  • Resources Targeted:

    • Southern Africa: Mineral wealth like gold, iron, and diamonds.

    • East Africa: Timber, leading to vast deforestation.

Berlin Conference of 1885

  • Solidifying Resource Grabbing:

    • European countries claimed colonial lands in Africa to avoid war among themselves over these lands.

Colonial Claims in Africa

  • Portuguese: Larger colonies.

  • Britain: Claimed much of Southern and Eastern Africa.

  • Germany: Also made claims.

  • Italy: Made claims as well.

  • France: Made claims as well.

Resources and Colonialism

  • Connection to Black Panther:

    • Illustrates how isolation allowed Wakanda to benefit from its resources, contrasting with European exploitation in Africa.

Cecil Rhodes and De Beers Mining Company

  • Cecil Rhodes:

    • Formed the De Beers mining company and controlled 90% of the world's diamond production.

    • Became the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony under British control.

  • Racist Policies:

    • His racist policies and exploitation of Africans paved the way for apartheid in the future.

Railroad Dream

  • Cape to Cairo Railroad:

    • Rhodes had a dream of building a railroad across Africa from Cape Town to Cairo, but it was never completed.

African Resistance

  • Resistance Movements:

    • Africans did not passively hand over control; there were significant movements against Europeans.

  • Ethiopia's Success:

    • Ethiopia successfully defended its nation against the Italians, notably at the Battle of Adwa.

    • Ethiopians had access to gunpowder weapons, which leveled the playing field.

Zulu Kingdom

  • Establishment:

    • The Zulu Kingdom was a well-organized state in South Africa.

  • Anglo-Zulu War:

    • The British presented an ultimatum to the Zulu king, demanding the disbandment of their army and abandonment of cultural traditions.

    • The Zulu refused, leading to the Anglo-Zulu War, which the British won, bringing the region under their dominion.

Religious Resistance - The Xhosa Cattle Killing Movement

  • Religious Inspiration:

    • The Xhosa people in South Africa resisted British imperialism, inspired by their religious ideals.

  • Cattle Killing Movement:

    • A Xhosa prophetess claimed that killing all cattle and destroying corn would cause ancestors to drive out European settlers.

    • The Xhosa lost to the British and suffered mass starvation due to their actions.

Mass Migrations

  • New Migrations:

    • Following the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, there were new migrations due to the need for low-wage laborers.

  • British India:

    • People from British India migrated to British-controlled South Africa and East Africa, typically as indentured servants.

  • Specialized Laborers:

    • British engineers and geologists also migrated to the region and settled there.

Effects of Migrations

  • Ethnic Enclaves:

    • The migrations led to the creation of ethnic enclaves, such as the large Indian population in Durban, South Africa.

The Era of World Wars, Cold War Tensions, and Decolonization (1900-Present)

  • Colonized People in World Wars: Fought on the sides of their mother countries.
    Italy and Ethiopia

  • Italy's Actions: After World War I, Italy went back to Ethiopia in 1935 to increase their land holdings.

  • League of Nations: Condemned Italy's actions but did little to stop them.

Germany's Colonies

  • Loss of Colonies: Germany lost its colonies after World War I in the Treaty of Versailles.

  • New Control: Those colonies fell under the control of Britain, France, or Belgium instead of being granted independence.

Nationalist Efforts

  • Growing Nationalism: Nationalist efforts began to brew during World War II.

  • Independence: Some colonies negotiated their independence, while others achieved it through armed struggle.

Ethiopia's Independence

  • Regaining Independence: Ethiopia regained its independence after Mussolini's short stint of power.

  • World War II: Italy, as one of the Axis powers in 1940, focused most of its offensives in Africa and the Middle East.

  • British Assistance: Independence was gained with the assistance of the British, who fought against Italy in World War II.

South Africa's Independence

  • Negotiated Independence: South Africa's independence was negotiated, but it was also gained through a brutal resistance campaign.

Dutch and British Influence

  • Cape Town Colony: The Dutch established a colony at Cape Town in 1652.

  • Union of South Africa: By the 1900s, the British and the Afrikaners united to form the Union of South Africa and negotiated their independence from Great Britain in 1910.

  • British Commonwealth: South Africa remained part of the British Commonwealth.

Apartheid

  • Continued Control: Despite independence in 1910, white people were still in control.

  • Denied Rights: Indigenous Africans were denied rights by the minority Afrikaner or National Party in control.

  • African National Congress (ANC): Formed to vocalize the wishes of the African people.

  • Apartheid Policy: Started in 1948, implementing legal segregation based on distinct racial classifications.

Racial Classifications

  • Racial Groups: Included Black or native Africans, Whites (with Dutch or British ethnic ties), and a sizable Asian population (mostly Indian or Chinese who came as indentured servants in the late 1800s).

  • Colored: A distinct cultural group that speaks Afrikaans.

Control and Discrimination

  • Limited Independence: While independence was negotiated in 1910, the large majority of the population was still under the control of the National Party.

  • Restrictions: Black South Africans were required to carry ID at all times, were not allowed to vote, and could only live in certain areas.

Nelson Mandela and the ANC

  • Key Leader: Nelson Mandela was a key leader in the African National Congress (ANC) and sought to end discriminatory practices.

  • Non-Violent Tactics: Like Gandhi, Mandela and his fellow members of the ANC used non-violent tactics like strikes and demonstrations to protest apartheid, as well as civil disobedience.

Acts of Disobedience

  • Sharpeville Massacre (1960): Roughly 7,000 ANC members protested ID passbooks at a police station and burned the passbooks in an act of defiance, offering themselves up for arrests. The police fired on the protesters.

Soweto Uprising

  • New Law: In 1976, the National Party mandated that schooling be in Afrikaans along with English, versus native languages.

  • Student Protest: Students left their school to march against this government directive but were met with a heavily armed police force who fired tear gas and ammunition on the demonstrators, killing over 176, many of whom were students.

International Pressure and Dismantling of Apartheid

  • International Campaigns: Throughout the 1970s and 80s, people and governments around the world launched international campaigns to boycott South Africa.

  • F.W. de Klerk: Elected president in 1989, he dismantled apartheid.

  • Mandela's Release: de Klerk freed Mandela in 1990.

  • New Constitution: A new constitution was established in 1991.

Mandela's Presidency

  • Elected President: In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected as president.

Lasting Impacts of Colonization

  • Development Difficulties: Development has been difficult in most of Africa as the roots of colonization and imperialism have lasting impacts.

Learning Objective 7.8 - Mass Atrocities

  • Causes and Consequences: Understanding the causes and consequences of mass atrocities.

  • Examples: Holocaust, Armenian Genocide, and the Rwandan Genocide.

Rwandan Genocide

  • German Colony: Rwanda started as a German colony until they lost World War I and then switched into Belgian hands, where they utilized indirect rule.

  • Racist Policies: The legacy of imperialism included ingrained racist and oppressive policies that classified people based on physical characteristics and roles within their society.

Ethnic Classifications

  • ID Cards: Belgians required Rwandans to carry ID cards showing their ethnic group.

  • Tutsis: Originally cattle herders before colonization and were a minority within Rwanda. They controlled the monarchy.

Belgian Favoritism

  • Belgian Beliefs: The Belgians believed the Tutsis were superior to the Hutus, who were the majority ethnic group in Rwanda.

  • Post-World War II: Hutu activism and a push for democracy overthrew the Tutsi monarchy and Belgian influence, where they then gained independence in 1962.

Shift in Support

  • Belgian Switch: The Belgians switched groups of who they supported and went behind the Hutus.

  • Classifications: These classifications created divisions and eventually lead to the genocidal plans that come to fruition.

Government-Sponsored Incitement

  • Radio Stations: Government-sponsored radio stations started to call on ordinary Rwandan citizens to murder their neighbors.

  • Timeline: Within three months in 1994, some 800,000 people had been slaughtered.

Lack of International Action

  • United Nations: Many consider this lack of action by the United Nations, a peacekeeping international organization, as a failure or at least one of their weaknesses.

Reconciliation Efforts

  • Ongoing Efforts: Since then, there has been a lot of work at reconciliation in Rwanda, but still, the legacy of the genocide is still fresh in many people's minds.

One Minute Recap

  • Great Zimbabwe and Axum: Early states in eastern Africa.

  • Great Zimbabwe: Connected to the Swahili coast and the Indian Ocean trade network.

  • Trade: Iron, ivory, and animal skins were exchanged from Africa into the network, and religion (Islam) spread into Africa.

  • Ethiopia: Sizable Christian population.

  • Portuguese Explorers: Dias reached the Cape of Good Hope, and Vasco da Gama reached India.

  • Industrial Revolution: Led to European nations wanting resources.

  • Berlin Conference.

  • Resistance: The Zulu lost against the British, the Xhosa had the cattle-killing movement, and Ethiopians fought and won to defend their lands.

20th Century Conflicts and Independence

  • World Wars and Nationalist Movements: Led to independence for many, but South Africa's situation was confusing due to apartheid.

  • Apartheid Resistance: Sharpeville protest, Soweto uprising, Mandela's imprisonment, and international boycotts.

  • de Klerk: Freed Mandela and ended apartheid laws.

  • Mandela: Elected in 1994.

  • Rwandan Genocide: Showed the deep effects of imperialism and colonization.

One Minute Recap

Great Zimbabwe and Axum: Early states in eastern Africa.

Great Zimbabwe: Connected to the Swahili coast and the Indian Ocean trade network.

Trade: Iron, ivory, and animal skins were exchanged from Africa into the network, and religion (Islam) spread into Africa.

Ethiopia: Sizable Christian population.

Portuguese Explorers: Dias reached the Cape of Good Hope, and Vasco da Gama reached India.

Industrial Revolution: Led to European nations wanting resources.

Berlin Conference: Orchestrated by Otto von Bismarck (first German Chancellor)

Resistance: The Zulu lost against the British, the Xhosa had the cattle-killing movement, and Ethiopians fought and won to defend their lands.

20th Century Conflicts and Independence: Led to independence for many, but South Africa's situation was confusing due to apartheid