• Suez Canal- Had the advantage that things could be shipped more securely, easily, and safely. Easier access to resources and new markets to sell their goods.

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  Imperialisism in Africa

• British will begin spreading their colonies into West Africa

• Sierra Leone- This will be a home for people who have been set free from slavery

• Gambia and Sierra Leone (1816): Use this as a base to end the export of slavery

• Britain tried to reason with the Natives to settle in their land, but when they didn’t agree war began

• British signed a treaty with King Jaja of Nigeria agreeing to trade terms favorable on both sides.

• Other African rulers agreed to similar diplomatic treaties with foreign powers, believing they were protecting sovereignty and trade rights.

• European control of Africa increased, treaties became meaningless and warfare broke out with Africans resisting takeover but were overpowered by military strength.

Pros of British Imperialism in Africa:

1. Infrastructure development: British imperialism brought significant infrastructure development to Africa, including the construction of railways, roads, bridges, and ports. This facilitated trade and communication, leading to economic growth in some regions.

2. Education and healthcare: The British established schools and healthcare facilities in many African colonies, providing access to education and medical services for the local population. This contributed to the spread of literacy and improved public health.

3. Political stability: British rule brought a certain level of political stability to some African regions. They established centralized administrations, implemented legal systems, and resolved conflicts between different ethnic groups, which helped maintain order and prevent internal conflicts.

4. Abolition of slavery: British imperialism played a significant role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade and later slavery itself in Africa. They actively campaigned against slavery and enforced anti-slavery laws, contributing to the liberation of many enslaved Africans.

Cons of British Imperialism in Africa:

1. Exploitation of resources: The British exploited Africa's natural resources, such as minerals, timber, and agricultural products, for their economic gain. This often led to the depletion of resources and the impoverishment of local communities.

2. Cultural and social disruption: British imperialism disrupted traditional African societies and cultures. They imposed their values, customs, and languages, leading to the erosion of indigenous cultures and the loss of cultural identity for many Africans.

3. Land dispossession: The British implemented land policies that resulted in the dispossession of indigenous communities from their ancestral lands. This led to the displacement of local populations and the loss of their livelihoods, contributing to social and economic inequalities.

4. Forced labor and taxation: The British imposed forced labor and heavy taxation on Africans, which caused significant hardships for the local population. Many Africans were forced to work in mines, plantations, and other industries under harsh conditions, leading to exploitation and suffering.

5. Divide and rule policies: The British employed divide-and-rule tactics, exploiting existing ethnic and tribal divisions to maintain control over their colonies. This created tensions and conflicts between different ethnic groups, which continue to have repercussions in post-colonial Africa.

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   Imperialism in Africa: France

   1830: France drove the Ottomans out of Algeria, and by 1870 Algeria became a settler colony, attracting Spanish, Italian, Maltese, and French immigrants. 

1870s: French established trading posts in Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Niger to compete with British West African colonies.

Scramble for Africa: Invasion, occupation, division, and colonization of African territory by European powers during a short period of New Imperialism (1881-1914).

• 1870: 10 percent of Africa under European control 

• 1914: Increased to 90 percent, with only Ethiopia and Liberia remaining independent. 

• Ottom von Bismarck (Germany) hosted the Berlin Conference

• No Africans were invited to the conference where European powers peaceably agreed to colonial boundaries.

• Several different ethnicities, and languages, either forced together or torn apart

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• European motives: 

  • Desire to control valuable natural resources 

  • Rivalry and quest for national prestige

  • Religious missionary zeal 

  • Internal African politics also played a role

• Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815): The British replaced the Dutch in Cape Colony in the southern tip of Africa, introducing English but allowing people to use the Dutch language as well. 

• Many Dutch-speaking Afrikaners (descendants of 17th-century Dutch settlers) moved east of the Cape Colony, where they came into conflict with indigenous groups, including Zulus, with whom they fought several wars. 

19th century: British and Afrikaners continued to fight over land, leading to the Boer Wars (1880-1881, 1899-1902)

• British will make concentration camps

• Medical care and sanitation were very poor, food rations were so meager that many died of starvation

• While white camps received some attention, conditions in black camps remained terrible. 

• Of the 100,000 blacks interned in concentration camps, nearly 15,000 perished.

• Millions of Afrikaner and black African farmers had been displaced onto poor land, making it hard for them to earn a decent living.

• Scramble for Africa: The Congo

  1. King Leopold II of Belgium(1865-1909): Oversaw Invasion and pacification of the Congo (central Africa) to persuade the Belgian government to support colonial expansion. 

  2. Unlike other European rulers, King Leopold owned the colony personally, using colonial officials against indigenous Congolese and a ruthless system of economic exploitation allowing him to keep profits made by the Congo Free State, 220 million francs ($1.1 billion today). 

  3. Visitors to the colony reported brutal conditions for laborers who were forced to harvest ivory and rubber. 

     • Leopold's agents severed the hands of Congolese workers to terrorize others into submission. 

  4. Workers who could not meet quotas were beaten or killed, while others were worked to death. 

  5. The term slavery was not commonly used to describe imperial activities, but laborers in Congo often received no payment for backbreaking work, and spouses were held captive so workers wouldn’t run away.

  6. As many as 8 million people perished under King Leopold's reign of terror in the Congo. 

     1908: Belgium took over control of the Congo as a regular colony, and conditions improved.

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     Russian Expansion

• Russians establish settlements in Alaska

• They use it as a base to explore the west Coast of North America

• Push into Ca (Northern part) abandoned, the land they gained will be sold to the US.

• Push into Central Asia

• Russia's expansion will be similar to the expansion of the U.S

• Mostly in Asia and Eastern Europe

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  Learning Objective: Governance