Colonial Africa: The Scramble for Africa

Week 9: Colonial Africa 1

Part A: The Scramble for Africa

Instructor: Kofi Gbolonyo
Map of Africa
  • Outline of African countries and geographical features relevant to colonial interests.
A Brief Overview of European Engagement in Africa
  • Greek/Roman Contact in North Africa: 550 BCE - 700 AD (1,250 years)
  • Exploration/Trade with Sub-Saharan Africa: 1430s - 1500s (70 years)
  • Transatlantic Slave Trade: 1440s - 1880s (440 years)
  • Missionary Activities/Exploration: 1770s - 1890s (120 years)
  • Scramble for Africa: 1885 - 1910 (25 years)
  • Colonization: 1880s - 1980s (100 years)
  • Independence/Decolonization: 1945 - 1994 (50 years)
  • Neo-colonialism: 1960s to present (60+ years)
Evolving European and African Relations Post-Slavery
  • Decline of the Slave Trade: Abolished in 1807
  • Economic Shift: Transition led to a reconfiguration of power dynamics in Europe.
  • Terms of Trade Changes (1860): Dominance of large trading companies emerged in conjunction with the Industrial Revolution.
  • Missionary and Exploratory Ventures: Seen as part of Europe’s international status.
Political, Economic, and Ideological Influences of the Scramble
  • Economic Recessions/Wars/Unifications in Europe (1870s):
    • 1870: France-Prussia (Germany) War
    • 1871: Unification of Germany
    • 1873-1896: British “Long Depression”
  • Crisis Resolution: Colonization seen as a solution to economic and political crises.
  • Ideological Components:
    • Belief in European civilization's supremacy.
    • Concepts like the "White Man’s Burden" and the "Civilizing Mission".
Motivations Behind the EU Scramble for Africa
  • Trade: Desire for high return on investments, trading surpluses, and raw materials, distancing from slavery.
  • Preservation: Safeguarding colonial possessions, promoting civilizing missions, strategic asset acquisition, including military force.
  • Chronological Movements (1870s-1918):
    • Initial missionary works and explorations until 1890s.
    • Shifted from trading agreements with local leaders to overt conquest and direct administration extending into the 1920s.
Key Players in the Scramble
  • Actors Engaging in the Scramble:
    • Explorers
    • Missionaries
    • Merchants (Chartered Companies/Traders)
    • Diplomats/Mercenaries
  • Actants [Tools of Empire]:
    • Treaties
    • Flags and Maps
    • Dismountable Steam Ships
    • Weapons and Drugs
Understanding African Historical Empires
  1. Wolof Empire
  2. Carthaginian Empire
  3. Persian Empire
  4. Empire of Ghana
  5. Empire of Kanem
  6. Ayyubid Dynasty
  7. Ptolemaic Egypt
  8. Umayyad Caliphate
  9. Great Zimbabwe Empire
  10. Fulani Empire
  11. Hausa Kingdom
  12. Ethnic Contributions: Yoruba, Igbo, and others highlighted in individual cultures' contributions to the African narrative.
Berlin Conference (1884-85)
  • Initiation: Convened by Otto Von Bismarck at Leopold II's suggestion, designed to mediate the colonization of the Congo, which had conflicting claims by France and Portugal.
  • Broad Agenda: Avoiding European conflicts resulting from colonial disputes over Africa.
  • Regulatory Framework:
    • Established principles of mutual recognition, trade, and colonization with a focus on 'effective occupation'; this principle ultimately promoted dispossession and territorial administration.
  • Impact: Rapid acceleration of colonization, particularly by Germany, after Bismarck's dismissal in 1890.
Political Geography of the Scramble
  • Rivalry Between France and Britain:
    • French focused on a West-East axis.
    • British controlled a South-North axis, vying for domination over key rivers: Niger, Congo, Nile, Gambia, Volta, Senegal, Zambezi, etc.
  • Additional Competing Claims:
    • Italy: Somalia, Libya, Ethiopia (1895/6, 1935/6)
    • Germany: Togo, Namibia, Tanzania, Cameroon
    • Belgium: Congo
    • Portugal: Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau
  • Minor Presence of Other European Powers: Dutch, Spanish, & Swedish interests highlighted.
Summary of Colonial Conflict and Changes Towards Independence
  • Impact of pre-WWI and WWII events on colonial relationships across Africa emphasized.
  • Notable historical changes in territorial control and resistance movements against colonial rule documented.
Key Dates
  • Mentioned critical years (1914 and relevant events leading up to and beyond the world wars) noted within a broader context of African colonial histories, struggles, and eventual shifts towards independence.
References to Farewell of Content
  • Indication that the transcript continues in subsequent pages, suggesting further elaboration on the significant historical themes introduced in the first fifteen pages.

Conclusion

  • The Scramble for Africa was a multifaceted event influenced by various actors, motives, and the historical context of the time, leaving deep impacts on the continent's future and its people.