Imperialism in Western Africa
West Africa Imperialism
By Princedip Lidhar
November 8th, 2012
In Africa, many states had been weakened by the slave trade. The slave trade lasted for about four centuries, leaving nothing but tears and sorrows for the Africans. The Old Imperialism occurred between the years 1500 and 1800. Europeans established colonies in the coastal regions of Africa. The New Imperialism occurred between 1870 and 1914. During the Industrial Revolution, European industrialized nations became more aggressive into expanding into other lands. The new imperialism was focused mainly on Africa because it had many declining empires and local wars. This left many states vulnerable and easy to conquer.
In 1914, West Africa was mostly conquered by the French. This period of time was known as the Scramble for Africa, the invasion and colonization of African territory by European powers during the New Imperialism period. In the 1870s, King Leopold sent a mission to the interior of Africa to establish trade agreements with leaders of the Congo River Basin. Belgian presence in the Congo triggered a scramble among other European powers to establish their presence on the continent. In 1884, in order to avoid conflict among themselves, European leaders met in Germany to set up rules for colonizing Africa. This was known as the Berlin Conference. The Berlin Conference was held in Berlin, Germany and it divided Africa with little to no regard for the people that lived there. The Europeans believed that they were superior to the Africans so they decided to control them and make them their slaves.
In 1850, most of Africa was free. In 1920, most of Africa was under European rule. In the time span of just seventy years, Africa completely changed. It transformed from a simple continent to a very complex continent. It started off by being a normal continent in which people lived and turned into a battleground that completely evolved around slaves. People were forced to work for low wages. They had two main options to choose from: work for the Europeans or die. Obviously, many people chose to work because they had a family to take care of. Many families had a total of four members consisting of a mother, a father, and two children. The father ran the household while the mother took care of the children. If the father didn’t live, the family’s livelihood would also be snatched away from them. Many families daily went through this horrible process. They had to live in fear of death each and every day.
Even though imperialism struck Africa a long time ago, its effects are still seen today. The problems that they face today are not as bad, but they are still difficult to deal with. There were many tribes until imperialism. The imperialism of Africa demolished all of the tribes that once used to walk freely. Today, only a short amount of these tribes still remain. The countries that were shaped by the Great Powers are barely altered today. The borderlines are still where they were initially placed. Other than a few exceptions of new islands, the long-lasting legacy of the imperialism of Africa has not been changed and it still shows that today.
By Princedip Lidhar
November 8th, 2012
In Africa, many states had been weakened by the slave trade. The slave trade lasted for about four centuries, leaving nothing but tears and sorrows for the Africans. The Old Imperialism occurred between the years 1500 and 1800. Europeans established colonies in the coastal regions of Africa. The New Imperialism occurred between 1870 and 1914. During the Industrial Revolution, European industrialized nations became more aggressive into expanding into other lands. The new imperialism was focused mainly on Africa because it had many declining empires and local wars. This left many states vulnerable and easy to conquer.
In 1914, West Africa was mostly conquered by the French. This period of time was known as the Scramble for Africa, the invasion and colonization of African territory by European powers during the New Imperialism period. In the 1870s, King Leopold sent a mission to the interior of Africa to establish trade agreements with leaders of the Congo River Basin. Belgian presence in the Congo triggered a scramble among other European powers to establish their presence on the continent. In 1884, in order to avoid conflict among themselves, European leaders met in Germany to set up rules for colonizing Africa. This was known as the Berlin Conference. The Berlin Conference was held in Berlin, Germany and it divided Africa with little to no regard for the people that lived there. The Europeans believed that they were superior to the Africans so they decided to control them and make them their slaves.
In 1850, most of Africa was free. In 1920, most of Africa was under European rule. In the time span of just seventy years, Africa completely changed. It transformed from a simple continent to a very complex continent. It started off by being a normal continent in which people lived and turned into a battleground that completely evolved around slaves. People were forced to work for low wages. They had two main options to choose from: work for the Europeans or die. Obviously, many people chose to work because they had a family to take care of. Many families had a total of four members consisting of a mother, a father, and two children. The father ran the household while the mother took care of the children. If the father didn’t live, the family’s livelihood would also be snatched away from them. Many families daily went through this horrible process. They had to live in fear of death each and every day.
Even though imperialism struck Africa a long time ago, its effects are still seen today. The problems that they face today are not as bad, but they are still difficult to deal with. There were many tribes until imperialism. The imperialism of Africa demolished all of the tribes that once used to walk freely. Today, only a short amount of these tribes still remain. The countries that were shaped by the Great Powers are barely altered today. The borderlines are still where they were initially placed. Other than a few exceptions of new islands, the long-lasting legacy of the imperialism of Africa has not been changed and it still shows that today.