Transcript The Partition of Africa

The Partition of
Africa
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By the end of the 1800s, the imperialist powers
of Europe claimed control over most of Africa.
Main Idea
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Usman dan Fodio – scholar who inspired resistance
against corruption and European control; began an
Islamic revival in northern Nigeria
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Shaka – military leader of the Zulu who united his
people, setting off a series of wars in southern Africa
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paternalistic – governing a country as a father would a
child
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David Livingstone – an African explorer and missionary
who hoped to open the African interior to trade and
Christianity to end slavery
Terms and People
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Henry Stanley – American journalist who
trekked across Africa and “found” Dr.
Livingstone in 1871
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King Leopold II – king of Belgium who set off a
scramble among European powers for African
colonies in the late 1800s
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Boer War – 1899–1902; a war in which the British
defeated Dutch Boers in South Africa
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Samori Touré – leader of forces fighting the
French in West Africa
Terms and People Cont.
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In the late 1800s, Britain, France, Germany, and
other European powers swept into Africa.
Africa in the Early 1800s
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Africa- huge continent, four times the size of
Europe
People spoke hundreds of languages and has
developed varied governments.
Large centralized states
Village communities
Africa in the Early 1800s
(Before Colonization)
North Africa
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Included the enormous Sahara and the fertile
land along the Mediterranean.
Had close ties to the Muslim world
In the early 1800s, much of North America
remained under the rule of the declining
Ottoman Empire
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Islamic reform movement had brought change
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Leader: Usman dan Fodio preached jihad
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A holy struggle to revive and purify Islam.
Under these leaders, several new Muslim states
arose.
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All built on trade, farming, and herding.
West Africa
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East Africa was largely influenced by the
Muslim religion,
slave trade with the Middle East,
and natural resources such as copper and ivory.
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Traded for good: Cloth, Firearms
East Africa
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The powerful warrior Shaka united many of the
Zulu.
As the Zulu pushed south, they met the Boers.
The Boers moved inland in 1814 on their “Great
Trek” resisting British control along the coast.
The Zulu fought fiercely but could not match the
Boer’s weapons
In general, his conquests set off mass migrations
and war, which created chaos in the region.
South Africa
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From 1500s to 1700s, Europeans traded along
the African coast. Difficult geography and
disease kept them from reaching the interior.
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Changed in the 1800s with river steamboats and
advanced medicine.
Led by explorers such as Mungo Park and
Richard Burton, Europeans began to penetrate
to the interior.
European Contacts
Increase
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Navigating Africa’s large rivers (Niger, Nile, Congo) led
European imperialists to explore Africa further inland.
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Fascinated by geography, little understanding of the people
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Catholic and Protestant missionaries traveled into Africa and
helped build schools, medical clinics, and churches.
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The missionaries urged Africans to reject their native ways in
favor of Western civilization.
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Took a paternalistic view of Africans.
Saw their religions as degrading.
Famous Missionaries: Dr. David Livingstone-, Henry Stanleyfocused on the cruelty of the slave trade.
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“The only way to end this cruel traffic was to open up the
interior of Africa to Christianity.”
Explorers and
Missionaries
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Later hired by King
Leopold II of Belgium,
Stanley explored the
Congo river basin seeking
wealth and fame and
setting off a competition
for colonies.
A Scramble for Colonies
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The purpose of the Berlin Conference was to avoid war
over African territories
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They recognized Leopold’s claims at the Congo Basin, but
organized free trade from the Congo and Niger rivers
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They also claimed that a European power could not claim
any part of Africa unless it had set up a government office
there
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For the following 20 years, the rush to colonize was on.
Europeans powers partitioned almost entire continent
The Berlin Conference
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Map Activity
Map Activity
In the Congo, brutal abuses took place as
the people were exploited for ivory, copper,
and rubber.
International outrage
forced Leopold to
turn the Congo over
to Belgium.
But Belgians still
treated Congo as a
possession to be
exploited.
Horrors in the Congo
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In 1908 the Congo
became the Belgian
Congo.
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It supplied mineral
and other wealth to
Belgium.
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The people of the
Congo received little
in return and had little
control of their land.
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No role in
government and
economy
France took over a large
portion of northern Africa.
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In the 1830s many died as France took
Algeria.
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France later extended its control into
Tunisia and sections of Central and
West Africa
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At its height, the French empire in
Africa was as large as the continental
United States.
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Britain’s share of Africa was smaller and more scattered
that that of France.
Took chunks of West and East Africa.
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Egypt, pushed south into Sudan.
In South Africa, Britain clashed with the Boers, who were
descendants of Dutch settlers.
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Britain acquired Cape Colony in 1815
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Boers fled but upon the discovery of gold and diamonds in the
Boers lands led to conflict.
Boer War -1899- 1902 (Britain won)
Britain Takes Its Share
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1910- the British united the Cape Colony and
the former Boer republics into the Union of
South Africa
The new constitution set up a gov. run by
whites and laid the foundation for a system of
complete racial segregation that would remain
in force until 1993.
Lasting Effects of Britain
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Portuguese- large colonies in
Angola and Mozambique
Italy- Across Mediterranean to
occupy Libya and then pushed
to the southern end of the Red
Sea.
Germany- Land in eastern and
southwestern Africa.
Other Nations Join the
Scramble
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The Algerians battled the French for years.
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Samori Toure fought the French forces in West Africa,
where he was building his own empire.
The British battled the Zulus and the Asante in West
Africa.
German battled the Yao and Herero in East Africa.
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Maji- Maji Rebellion- 1905
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Scorched Earth policy
Africans Resist Imperialism
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One African nation that resisted
colonization was the ancient
kingdom of Ethiopia.
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Reforming ruler Menelik II
modernized his country, purchased
weapons, and hired Europeans to
plan roads and bridges.
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In 1896 he defeated an attacking
Italian force and remained
independent.
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During the Age of Imperialism- a western-educated
African elite emerged.
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Some middle class Africans admired western ways and
rejected their own culture.
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Others valued their African traditions and condemned
western societies.
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By the early 1900s, African leaders were forging
nationalist movements to pursue self-determination and
independence.
New African Elite