Transcript Slide 1

THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA
Unit 7 Day 2
Diamonds are Forever
European Imperialism in Africa
Colonial Presence in Africa - 1914
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Sudan - The Mahdist War
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1819 – Muhammad Ali’s forces begin to occupy
the Sudan along the southern Nile
 The Egyptian administration imposed heavy
taxes on the predominantly Islamic (but not
Turkish) population and attempted to end the
profitable slave trade
1870s – After decades of resentment a cleric,
Muhammad Ahmad (1844-1885) began
preaching against the Turkish administration,
which he believed had broken with Islam, and
called for liberation
1881 – Muhammad Ahmad declares himself
Mahdi (“Redeemer”) and proclaims jihad against
the Egyptian administration
Muhammad Ahmad – The Mahdi
Sudan – The Mahdist War
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1881 – Mahdist forces succeeded in
establishing an independent state
1882 – British took control of Egypt, began
to take notice of the cost of continuing war
against Sudanese forces, attempt to
evacuate Egyptian troops
1884 – British consul sent General Charles
“Chinese” Gordon to the city of Khartoum to
coordinate the evacuation
Rather than evacuate, Gordon began to
administer the city, provoking Mahdist tribes
to rebel
Sudan – The Mahdist War
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Feb. 1884 – Jan. 1885 – Mahdist
Forces lay siege to Khartoum
British gov., under P.M. William
Gladstone, upset with Gordon, delayed
in sending reinforcements
Jan. 1885 – Khartoum falls, Gordon is
beheaded by attacking forces
Six months later Gladstone’s
government falls due to popular outcry
Sudan – The Mahdist War
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1896 – eleven years later – British
forces sent to the Sudan to
“avenge” Gordon’s death
Under General Horatio Kirchener,
British troops move methodically up
the Nile, supported by artillery,
machine guns, gunboats, and newly
build railroad supply lines
1898 – British forces massacre
11,000 Muslims at Battle of
Omdurman