Lecture 4: The Slave Trade and Colonization

Contrasting the African vs. Trans-Atlantic LSave Trade

  • Domestic African Slavery

    1) Focused on local self-subsistence economy

    2) Here slavery took on different forms

  • Property, Dependents, Concubinage

    3) Facilitated centralization of states

  • Slaves often used for military and administration

Trans Atlantic Slave Trade

  • Primarily Chattel Slavery (Property form

  • Obstructed state formation in much of Africa)

  • Based on International Commodity Markets

  • Through kidnapping of millions of Africans, populations were badly depleted

  • Tens of millions of people were systematically kidnapped from Africa

Slavery and regional de-population on the West Coast of Africa

  • British and French to N America/Caribbean

  • Portuguese to South America/Brazil

  • Spanish to South/Central America

  • 37% from Angola to Brazil by 18th century

  • North America: Southern Leone/Gambia/Gold Coast

  • US: From Upper Guinea

Legacies of African Slave Trade

  • Decline in African population

    • Hindered modern state formation

  • Africa’s disadvantageous economic integration

    • Slaves used in trade and production

    • Slaves used in production of export commodotities

  • Legacy of racism

  • Economic and political impact

    • Influenced the industrial revolution (Was faciliated by profit margina dn mass goods and sale of good caused by slavery)

    • Influenced rise of more Authoritarian anf violent rulers as intermmediaries in the Slave Trade

    • Influenced the timing and pattern if the scramble for Africa in the 19th century (Systematix depletion of Africa left it vulnerabke to colonization)

  • Transatlantic slavetrade was mostly late 16th century and early 17th century

From Imperialism to COlonialism

  • The scramble for Africa

    • The empire builders

  • Legacies of colonization

Demise of slave trade

  • Industrialization in Europe

  • Rise of New European trading firms

  • Competeition over new markets in Africa

  • Competition over Missionaries and Abolitionists

  • Slave Uprisings and Migrations in Africa

Cost Effectivness of “Legitimate trade”

  • Production of New Commodities

  • Required Law and Order and Cheap and Reliable Labour

  • Lyberia was never taken over bc it was formed by former escaped slaves

  • Ended up being colonized by a rubber company

Theories of European Imperialism

  • Economic Causes: Drives for raw materials and markets

  • Geostrategic explanation: Strategic rivalries & Interest in Monopolizing Trade to india

  • Political econpomy explaination: Due to combination of state and private interests

  • Ideologies: European nationalism & Racism/social darwinism

Economic and political causes of colonialism

  • Great depression of the late 19th century: Drive for raw materials and markets, lobbying by European Merchants

  • European Geo-Political Rivalries: Decline in power of Spain, Holland, Portugal/Rise of Germany Italy and Belgium/Competing Nationaisms in Europe/Threat of European War in 1882

Between 1975-1900

  • Early explorers charted the waters, gathered info on resources

    • Missionaries like David Livingstone set up mission posts (others to follow)

  • Egypt: 1869: Suez Canal built in joint British-French venture

  • To protect their investments and Suez Canal, Britain occupied Egypt, 1882

Suez canal completed in 1869

  • Allowed for more convenient colonization

3 Phases of Colonization

  • Constructing Colonial State (1880-1918): docterine of effective occupation & combating resistance

  • Institutionalization Phase, 1918-45: Major Political Legacies, economic legacies (revenue imperative)

  • African decolonization, 1945-60: Rise of African Nationalism(s)

Berlin Congress 1884-85

  • The construction of Colonial state 1880-1918

  • Dividing that “magnificent African cake”

  • “I do not want to miss a good chance of getting us a slice of this

    magnificent African cake.” King Leopold II of Belgium

Berlin Congress

  • Establish rules of game

  • Assert Sovereignty

  • legitimate authority

  • Effective occupation docterine

  • Rules were to establish: Basic infrastructure of Hegemonic control Military Posts, Administrative Posts, Security Territorial Control

Docterine of Effective Occupation, Berlin Conference, 1884-1885

  • France: North, West, central Africa

  • Britain: West, East, Central and Southern Africa

  • Portugal: • Angola, Mozambique, Guinea

  • Italy: Libya, Eritrea, south Somalia

  • Belgium: Congo

  • Germany: South-West Africa (Namibia), German East Africa (Tanzania/Rwanda/Burundi), Cameroons, Togoland

  • Spain: Morocco and the Spanish Sahara

Queen Victoria’s Reign (1837-1901)

  • Period of Imperial Expansion

  • She lead a lot of the colonization and would wear jewlery stolen from conquered states eg. star of India

  • Kitchener: Sudan, Boer war, Fashoda

  • Livingston: Victoria falls; central Africa (1813-73)

  • Lugard: Uganda, Nigeria (Theorist of

    Indirect Rule)

  • Cecil Rhodes: Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, 1853-1902

The “Explorer”

  • Sir David Livingston, 1813-1873

  • “Explored” Africian interoir (1852-56)

  • Christianity Commerce and Civilization

  • So called “First to See” Mosi-oa-Tunya

  • Age of imperialism and exploration

  • Goal was to navigate down the Zambezi river

Sir Fredrick Lugard: The ‘Administrator’

  • First Stationed in British India

  • 1890: British East Africa Company, puts down resistance in Uganda

  • 1894: Royal Niger Company, secures treaties

  • 1903-06: Hihg commissioner of Nigeria; establishes indirect rule

    Dual Mandate:

    • Ending “barbarism”; resources

    taxation; Britain; “Native Rule”

Cecil Rhodes

  • Southern Africa: Zambia and Zimbabwe

  • 1853-1902

    • Kimberly Diamond Mines in Natal

    • Colonizer of North and South Rhodesia

    • Head: British South African Company

    • Crushed Mashona and Ndebele rebellion in Zimbabwe, 1890s

    • Rhodesia named after Rgodes