The ‘Scramble for Africa’ – Flashcards

The 'race' between European countries to colonise Africa in order to control its natural resources and exploit its people (as labor)

To control something completely (often using force)

When a stronger country forcibly takes control of another country or territory

The political structure of (most of) Africa before European imperialism in the mid-1800s

The area in Africa that is below the Sahara desert

A key invention of the Industrial Revolution that allowed Europeans to navigate Africa's rivers (which had previously been too difficult to sail on). This allowed more Europeans to reach the continent's interior.

A system of trading based on one product (such as ivory or beeswax). Most African societies had their own networks.

A country in central Africa, desired by Europeans for its rich minerals and rubber plants

A British explorer and missionary, famous for 'discovering' much of the African interior

The Belgian King who claimed a huge area of land in Congo in order to exploit it

The main raw material that Europeans wanted from Congo

People who go to other countries to 'do good' for the 'poor' people (even though they often fail to do much good)

The 'aims' of Belgian colonisation of Congo and central Africa (according to the Belgians)

The number of Congolese people who died due to exploitation by the Belgians

New groups of people to sell products to

The 19th century theory that says that Darwin's ideas about evolution (and the 'survival of the fittest') apply to the human social world. It caused the belief that some races (white) were 'superior' to others. This belief in white superiority made imperialism acceptable to many people

To make people more 'civilised' (that is, more Western)

The racist idea that imperialism was all about making the 'barbarians' in Africa more 'civilised'

Having better inventions, transport, and weapons (the Europeans had this)

the first automated machine gun from 1884; these gave the Europeans a huge advantage in warfare

The disease which was (and is) common in Africa and stopped Europeans from spreading colonies into the interior

The first medicine to stop Europeans from getting infected with malaria (from 1829). This allowed European colonial armies to move into interior Africa

The cultural differences, internal rivalries and warfare between different African peoples. This meant that there was no united 'African' army to fight European imperialists

To use existing rivalries between groups of people for your own advantage (the Europeans did this in Africa and the Spanish did this in central America to defeat the Aztecs)

One of the most significant causes of imperialism

The conference of 1884-5 in which 14 European powers (but no African leaders at all) met to discuss how to divide land in Africa between themselves

The only two countries in Africa that were independent by 1914 (everywhere else was under European control)

Some of the most important raw materials that the Europeans wanted in Africa (tin and copper in Congo; diamonds and gold in South Africa)

The three groups of people who fought for control of South Africa

The name for Dutch settlers living in south Africa (their name means 'farmers' in Dutch)

One of the most powerful African cultures

A Zulu king, who was famous for creating a powerful centralised state

The area at the bottom of South Africa, colonised by the Dutch (which helped them keep control of their Indian Ocean trading and East India Company)

War between the British and the Boers (Dutch settlers) for control over South Africa. The British have been accused of committing terrible atrocities during this war (even though they won).