Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting for a land grab in the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economical, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation. Europe in this period was a world of competing countries. Britain had a global empire to lead, France had competition with Britain for wealth and so did other nations like Germany and Russia. Expansion was a goal that all nations wanted to achieve. Prince Leopold, the heir of the Belgian Throne, in a conversation, explained that “since history teaches us that colonies are useful… let us strive to get on in our turn… to lead to progress in every sense.” Being a prince, Leopold must have had a pro imperialist point of view, because he wanted to keep Belgium strong and prosperous. Cecil Rhodes, in a speech at the chartering of the British South Africa company, said “Philanthropy is good, but philanthropy at 5 percent is even better.” Cecil Rhodes’s quote clearly illustrates a materialistic point of view, owing to the fact that he was the founder of De Beers Diamond Company. Being a businessman, a desire of profit was natural. However, there are other examples that show a condemnation of imperialism for economical reasons. According to William Clark, in The Genesis of Jingoism, “capitalism is international… and it will prove in the long run to be one of the leading factors in breaking down of nationalism.” Owing to the fact that this excerpt from “The... ... middle of paper ... ...er the coat, communicated with a band of ribbon which Passover the palm of the white brother’s hand, and when he gave the black brother a cordial grasp of the hand, the black brother was surprised to find his white brother so strong that he nearly knocked him off his feet. By such means as these and a few boxes of gin, whole villages had been signed away to your majesty.” This account explains the exploitation the Europeans used to get their lands. Williams’ point of view seems biased against imperialism. This may be because of the clerical background. He probably wrote the letter to show the king the atrocities that were being committed against the Africans. This cultural spread ultimately led to revolts against the Europeans. Many African ethnicities changed their culture to match their European contemporaries and, using the technology had revolutions of their own.
Archbishop Philip Primrose conveys that "natural selection" and "survival of the fittest" principal are relevant to his day. This is likely unbiased because Archbishops tend to be honest people who do not lie. Doc 11 demonstrates through the French General of Equatorial Africa opinions europeans have the right to civilize the uncivilized countries of Africa. This is likely biased due to that speeches, usually but not in some cases, only include things the people want to hear. Prince Leopold shares in a conversation in doc 1 that he wants to show the world that Belgium can find unoccupied territories and civilize unknown peoples. This is unlikely to be biased because he is trying to impress the world with Belgium and therefore would have no reason to lie while trying to show off Belgium. In all, the social factors of "White Man's Burden" demonstrate certain reactions towards
The first Europeans to arrive in Africa were missionaries, they wanted to build churches and schools. Missionaries thought that by teaching Christian religion they could change African culture. Because European saw African as primitive, white people probably felt the need to civilize them. Leopold’s image at that time was of a humanitarian, in this way he could start his way to conquer Africa justifying his actions by saying that African people needed to be civilized.
In 1850, only a small chunk of Africa was governed by foreign rulers. By 1914, almost all African land was owned by European powers. The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a huge competition for land as European countries such as Britain, Germany, France, and Belgium competed to claim African land, and thus power and resources. After abolishing the slave trade, European countries continued to trade with Africa for various exotic resources. European businesses would often create treaties with African leaders to gain exclusive trading rights in a region. Eventually, foreign governments began attempting to gain control over these regions. Over time, disputes over land between European powers occurred, leading up to the Berlin Conference
The epoch of imperialism cannot be defined simply as proliferation of inflated egos tied to the hardened opinions of nationalists, but also a multi-faceted global rivalry with roots of philosophies tainted with racism and Social Darwinism. The technique of each imperialist was specific to the motivations and desires of each combative, predominantly Western power and subsequently impacted the success of each imperialist and its colonies. Driven by industrialization, Europeans were aware of the urgent need for raw materials and new markets to maintain a constant rate of expansion and wealth. Imperialism became a competition; in general, the European countries led with fervor while the non-Western regions deemed likely to be stepped on. Britain was endowed with geographic and political advantages that allowed the country to become the first to unwittingly stumble onto industrialization. Britain was an island, therefore had developed a unique naval strength which subsequently gave Britain leverage when globalization blossomed from expanding maritime trade. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe, including Belgium, trailed behind. Presently, colonized regions still bear the traits and scars from the subjugators of their past.
Throughout the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, almost every country in Africa was imperialized by other countries in Europe. To imperialize is to conquer another country, whether it be in the means of politics, economics and/or culture, and control that land. The aftermath for the imperialized country was either beneficial or harmful. The amount of African countries that a European country imperialized varied. Great Britain imperialized fifteen countries in Africa, including Egypt in 1882, Sierra Leone in 1808, and the Union of South Africa in 1910. Although Great Britain’s reasons to imperialize were selfish, Britain helped each country progress afterwards.
Rhodes' was not alone in this views on the superiority of the British race. Indeed, with the establishment of Darwin's theory of evolution, countless intellectuals had scrambled to establish evolutionary biology as the basis for European racial supremacy. Over the years, Rhodes' charismatic dogma would draw him to the center of the imperialist movement. It was a fitting place for him, as in many ways Rhodes life was demonstration of imperialism at large. On the one hand, Rhodes represented a class of wealthy European business men who had grown obscenely rich through their shameless plunder of the colonized world. Throughout...
The way countries, nations or states act and base their policies on many times reflect what their past was like. This is very true in the case of Africa. The only problem is that Africa is said to have no history. This just means that Africa’s many cultures did not affect the way imperialists and other influences acted towards the huge continent. Everything was based on their interests and consequently this meant that the way of dealing with Africa in every way was based on Western traditionalists. To this we must answer the question how has the Western World affected Africa’s present stage and what must be done to undo what is wrong and hopefully correct this situation.
The "DBQ Project" What Is the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa? (2012): 257. pp. 177-177. Print.
The first Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain. It led to a dramatic increase in factories, therefore a vast amount of manufactured goods. The demand for goods created by the Industrial Revolution helped clear the way for the Age of Imperialism because Great Britain and eventually all of Europe sought after more natural resources and raw materials. Imperialism is the policy in which a stronger country seeks to dominate a less developed country both politically and economically. Although the European imperialism of Africa was exploitive and self seeking, it was justified because it ultimately enhanced the growth and development of the African nations through new laws, government, well ordered finance and freedom form oppression.
There are many things that imperialism did to Africa. I will be talking about how and why the Belgium’s took control of Africa and the effects of them doing this. I will be diving into the causes and effects of Europe’s imperialism in Africa.
“The sun never sets on the British Empire,” Great Britain often bragged. By 1914, about 85% of the earth’s surface was colonized by Europe. Between 1884 and 1885, The Berlin Conference took place to carve up the African continent (Background Essay). Europeans saw high potential in Africa and thought the continent was empty, even though it was not. It was roughly “untouched” and they thought they could do anything they wanted (Doc.1). Great Britain’s colonization in Kenya affected the country’s religion and culture, education, and government.
While the economic and political damage of the scramble for Africa crippled the continent’s social structure, the mental warfare and system of hierarchy instituted by the Europeans, made the continent more susceptible to division and conquest. The scramble for partition commenced a psychological warfare, as many Africans were now thrust between the cultural barriers of two identities. As a result, institutions for racial inferiority became rooted in the cultural identity of the continent. This paper will expound on the impact of colonialism on the mental psyche of Africans and the employment of the mind as a means to seize control. I will outline how the mental hierarchy inculcated by the Europeans paved the way for their “divide and conquer” tactic, a tool essential for European success. Through evidence from a primary source by Edgar Canisius and the novel, King Leopold’s Ghost, I will show how colonial influences heightened the victimization of Africans through psychological means. I will culminate by showing how Robert Collins fails to provide a holistic account of colonialism, due to his inability to factor in the use of psychological warfare as a means to the end. By dissecting the minds of both the colonizer and the colonized, I hope to illustrate the susceptibility of African minds to European influences and how psychological warfare transformed Africans from survivors to victims during colonialism.
The New Imperialism and the Scramble for Africa 1880-1914. Jeff Taylor, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.