The Scramble For Africa (11.1) – Flashcards

The seizure of a country or territory by a stronger country

1. Raw materials in Africa Europe needed for manufacturing 2. Market for industrial products

Political, Religious beliefs, linguistic

Ranged from large empires to many ethnic groups to independent villages

Ranged from traditional beliefs, Islamic, Christianity

100s of ethnic and linguistic groups with different languages

They were unable to gain control of the continent

1. Powerful African armies kept them out for 400 years 2. European travel (on a large scale) to interior of Africa was virtually impossible—couldn't navigate 3. Disease killed many (malaria) 4. Africa had and controlled their own trade networks—were specialized, provided own trade items

1. Enslaved millions of Africans (1518-1860s) to work in Americas 2. Ports on coast (sea route to Spice Islands) 3. Acquired gold—increased profit

1. Explorers 2. Missionaries (spread Christianity) 3. Humanitarians (opposed slave trade)

Through travel books and newspapers

-Dr. Livingstone, a sensational explorer, was exploring Africa -Coast hadn't heard from him in a ling time—feared him to be dead -Stanley was hired to go out to find Livingstone, and he did find him -"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

King Leopold of Belgium

He signed with local chiefs of the Congo River Valley, which gave King Leopold control of these lands

To abolish the slave trade and promote Christanity

He licensed companies that brutally exploited Africans by forcing them to collect sap from rubber trees; at least 10 million Congolese died due to abuses (no record kept, so exact number is unknown)

80 times larger than Belgium

Many countries (Britain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain) became alarmed and rushed to claim parts of Africa

1. Industrial Revolution--need for resources and markets 2. National pride 3. Racism--Europeans believed they were superior 4. "Successes" of King Leopold (still brought in profit despite the horrors of the conditions in Congo) 5. Social Darwinism 6. Missionary motive--spread of Christanity

Social theory that applied Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution to society; the fittest/strongest nations would survive and overpower the unfit/weaker nations

1. Technological superiority of Europeans 2. Europeans had the means to control their empire 3. Quinine (a drug) protected Europeans against malaria, which had killed many before 4. Africans had no unity (had a variety of languages and cultures) and warred a lot - Europeans played rival groups against each other

About 1880, when the French began to expand from the West African coast and into the mainland

Diamonds and gold

European countries feared war among themselves in the race for Africa, so 14 European nations met to set rules for the division of Africa

1. Notify other nations of its claims 2. Show that it could control the area

African rulers

Liberia and Ethiopia

Rich mineral resources

Cash-crop plantations (grew peanuts, palm oil, cocoa, and rubber)

A history of Africans, Dutch, and British clashing over land and resources

The Dutch

The Cape of Good Hope

They wanted to establish a way station for their ships sailing between the Dutch East Indies and the Netherlands

Boers is Dutch for farmers - the Dutch took over the and and established farms for the benefit of their ships

Afrikaners

The British

The Dutch and the British clashed over the land and slaves, so many of the Boers moved north in the *Great Trek*, where they found themselves clashing with the Zulu and other groups for the land (the Dutch won)

The Orange Free State and Transvaal (The South African Republic)

Shaka's successors were unable to keep the kingdom together against the superior arms of the British; lost control to the British in 1887

-Boers tried to keep "outsiders" from getting political rights, rebellion attempted, so they blamed the British for their internal issues -Disputes over mineral claims, etc.

The British won

Union of South Africa

-*Racially segregated, white dominated* -90% of land reserved for whites -Skilled jobs for whites only -Blacks had to carry ID passes, couldn't hold office or even vote

1. Boers launched commando raids and used guerrilla tactics against the British 2. British burned Boer farms 3. Civilian targets (everything was fair game, all in all) 4. Imprisoned women and children in concentration camps 5. Camouflage uniforms 6. Natives forced to fight for the British

They made efforts to change the political, social, and economic lives of the peoples they conquered

1400s

Age of Exploration; finding way to Spice Islands