What Caused the Scramble for Africa? | History of Africa 1870-1885 Documentary 3/6

This video is brought to you by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one platform to build a beautiful online presence and run your business. By the 1850s, the French had moved into Algeria, took posts in the Ivory Coast, and expanded their holdings in Senegal. Meanwhile, the British expanded their holdings in the West and the South at the expense of the Xhosa, the Ashanti, and the likes. But the greatest colonizers of the early 19th century were the Egyptians, who conquered all of Sudan. And in the 1870s, they even tried to invade Ethiopia, but this was a disaster. Even though some ex-Confederate soldiers were employed to help in the expedition, they were quickly driven back by Ethiopia's new emperor, Yohannes IV, in 1876. This campaign, along with previous campaigns, the construction of the Suez Canal, and various other projects plunged the Egyptians into further debt. Plus, with these defeats, their hold over Massawa fell, and they eventually allowed the Italians to take over. But there was another major event in the world that is often overlooked, that encouraged the British and many Europeans to force the Egyptians to repay their debts and to begin colonizing new lands. This was the Panic of 1873. This, put very simply, was the result of overinvestment in railway lines and some industries. Too many were being constructed and brought in limited returns, so banks began to close down, causing a depression in the United States and Europe, and this depression would last until the 1890s. This of course is a very simplistic view of the depression, as other people have put the causes down to different things, like the French war debts caused after their war with Prussia, or even the construction of the Suez Canal. Many argue that this panic led to a ride in protectionist policies, so compare it to the depression in the 1930s, which saw some countries like Germany and Japan angered at the international markets and financial systems causing depressions, so look to produce a much more self-sufficient economy through the conquest of land. The same thing could be said here, as the Europeans were producing too many goods, goods which couldn't be sold in a stagnated western economy. So like explorer Henry Morton Stanley said when in the Congo, there are 40 million nude people, and the cotton spinners of Manchester are waiting to clothe them. This theory behind the cause of the scramble was developed on by Lenin, who described imperialism as the latest stage of capitalism. But personally, I believe this is too simplistic, as the Europeans largely propped up declining empires elsewhere, like China and the Ottoman Empire. There, a strong and stable government was better for trade, and provided even larger markets without the expenses of direct control. But going back to Egypt, the British were now determined to have their debts repaid after the panic, and along with the French, they sent a commission to oversee the country's finances. But the Egyptians were still officially under Ottoman rule, and had to provide funds to help them in their war against the Russians that decade. Plus, as the British offered diplomatic support for the Ottomans during this war, they were given Cyprus, putting them within striking distance of Egypt. The British interference in Egypt would eventually lead to the Urabi revolt, but we'll put a pin in Egypt for now, as the 1870s saw further developments elsewhere. In the south, there was a short civil war in the Boer republics of South Africa, which helped Paul Kruger rise to power. But some people sought British protection from the Boers, like Basutoland, which came under British control in 1869, and this would eventually become the nation of Lesotho. Otherwise, a group of mixed race people known as the Greek, set up their own republics like a cliff drift. There, after the discovery of diamonds, thousands of British migrants would appear, and they too would fall under British protection, putting Britain firmly on the borders of the Boer republics. So, the panic of 1873 also encouraged the British to take more interest in the newfound diamond wealth of the Boer republics. And, thankfully for them, the Boers suffered a defeat at the hands of the nearby Pedi people in 1877. This, along with the ongoing Zulu threat, encouraged the Boers to accept British protection, and the British then sent an army to crush Sekokuni, the king of the Pedi people. Around the same time, the British also finally defeated the Xhosa, who they had been fighting for decades. But now, under governors like Freya, the British were more keen to expand, so they fully annexed the Xhosa lands, and then came the Anglo-Zulu war. Governor Freya was presented a cause for war when a colonial engineer and a trader were taken prisoner by a group of Zulus when they were working near the border. They were released, but Freya issued an ultimatum that he knew the Zulu king, Sesweo, could not accept, as it included disbanding his entire army. After the deadline for the ultimatum passed, the British declared war in January 1879, but famously, their first invasion ended in disaster at the Battle of Isandlwana. The British public was outraged, and they sort of forced a reluctant British government to send in reinforcements to defeat the Zulu. And I say reluctant because Prime Minister Disraeli, and many Prime Ministers before him, were more focused on Russia, India, and the likes. For instance, Lord Palmerston advised the Belgians against buying Cuba from the Spanish way back in the 1830s, arguing that colonies are unwieldy and expensive. Even Disraeli's own Secretary of the Colonies, Sir Michael Hicks Beach, wrote, The fact is that matters in Eastern Europe and India were so serious an aspect that we cannot have a Zulu war, in addition to other greater and too possible troubles. So the British favoured the idea of a soft empire, which allowed the British to dominate trade across the world, in particular in South America, without the need to rule over people. So the anti-colonial stance wasn't born out of a noble idea, but it was more pragmatic. And it wasn't just the British who felt this way, the Germans under Bismarck was more focused on Europe and maintaining alliances there, but independent colonists would force his hand. Therefore, the whole scramble was championed through the actions of some men, Rhodes, Leopold, Freyja, Luderitz, and others. Now this may seem like a bit of a simplification, but there was never a unified protectionist plan to acquire new markets and resources. This is especially true as the African colonies very rarely turned a profit, and never provided a huge market for European goods, which were still mainly sent to the Americas or Asia. Of course some people made a great deal of money exploiting the rubber and diamonds, but more was made via the soft empires in South America, or even opening up and modernizing Japan, China, and the likes. So small colonies like Hong Kong or Singapore proved a better investment than fighting in the deserts of Sudan. And this policy of just small trading posts had been the European's policy in Africa for centuries. But going back to South Africa, the Zulus were defeated at Rourke's Drift while reinforcements arrived. These fresh troops launched a second invasion of the Zulu kingdom, captured Sesweo, and divided his kingdom up into small chiefdoms. These would all later be brought under British control, but there was a problem for the British. Now the Boer Republics no longer needed their protection, so they declared their independence in 1880, starting the First Boer War between Transvaal and Britain. The British Gatling guns that were so effective against other opponents, proved to be pretty useless against the Boer marksmen and their guerrilla tactics. So after numerous embarrassing defeats, Prime Minister Gladstone admitted defeat, and the Boer Republics remained independent for now. As for the Boers, they had been branching out and looking to expand their influence into Southern Africa. So throughout the 1870s, they had embarked on the Dursland Treks, which took them through Botswana, Namibia, and even as far north as Angola. Some of them would remain in Angola for decades, before returning south to Namibia. But many died along the way, and no large Boer communities were established in their new homelands. And of course, the Portuguese were not open to allowing new republics being formed in their colonies, and they faced opposition in Namibia from the ruling Herero chiefs. But let's just take a minute to thank Squarespace for making this video possible. Now, in recent months there has been a little bit of an uptake in this channel, and it's time for me to really spread out online. Maybe you're in a very similar position with your business, but like me, you have very limited experience online. Well, thanks to Squarespace, they make this incredibly easy. In just a few simple clicks, you can set up a website with some fantastic designs, or even connect it to an online shop. There's no backend stuff to worry about, or out of date plugins. Everything just works, and it is designed to make everything ridiculously easy. But even if there are problems, there's always 24x7 support available to see you through any issues. So, by the end of the day, you could have a website reporting the news of your hometown, selling your custom made hats, or anything which you fancy. So, head to squarespace.com.jabsy to save on 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain. And now, back to Africa. Besides Egyptian debt in British South Africa, the third major development that occurred in the 1870s was Leopold II of Belgium hiring Henry Morton Stanley to explore the Congo. And this brings me to what I believe was the major cause behind the scramble, the emergence of new colonial powers, and a sort of panic to claim colonies out of a fear that someone else would take them. Three European nations emerged in the 19th century that would go on to claim colonies, Belgium, Italy, and Germany. The Italians, as discussed on the last episode, purchased land in Eritrea, while the Belgians had been desperate to acquire colonies ever since they achieved their independence in 1830. Plus, Belgium was something of an economic powerhouse, at least in comparison to its size, as they underwent a rapid period of industrialization. They built hundreds of miles of railway lines and were producing more coal and iron than the Austrians for most of the 1800s. So they had wealth, but no empire. Leopold II had heard of the journeys of Henry Morton Stanley, and he was the only person to agree to fund further exploration of the Congo. But Stanley was a little shocked to find out about Leopold's intentions. As he said, it is a question of creating a new state as big as possible and of running it. It is clearly understood that there should be no question of granting the slightest political power to the Negroes in this project. That would be absurd. But to the rest of the world, Leopold projected a far more humanitarian mission. In 1876, he hosted a geographical conference in Brussels and created an International African Association. Philanthropists, mapmakers, and scientists were all invited to attend and discuss how to map out Africa in order to better stop the slave trade and even provide medicine to the people. But of course, this was all just a mask. Stanley was tasked with buying land in the Congo in exchange for meager gifts, like bolts of cloth. You may be wondering why the African leaders were willing to sell their land to the Europeans, but I think French explorer Christian de Bonchamps said it best. The treaties with these little African tyrants, which generally consist of four long pages, of which they do not understand a word, and to which they sign a cross in order to have peace and receive gifts, are really only serious matters for the Europeans, in the event of disputes over territories. Plus there was the immediate threat of being killed by the Europeans, as what happened to some particularly resistant leaders. Then there was another threat coming from the East, and that's the Zanzibari slave traders under the leadership of Tipu Tip. He had thousands of slaves working in clove plantations over in Zanzibar. But by the late 19th century, he had pushed far into the heart of Africa, destroying hundreds of villages and capturing thousands of slaves. This caused panic and left huge parts of Congo unpopulated, while he styled himself as the leader of the Eastern Congo. Plus within the various African states inside of the Congo, there had been a great shift taking place. The Kingdom of Luba, which was formed way back in the 1500s, was the old power, and had a number of tributary states. But with the arrival of the Zanzibaris, their power began to diminish. Nearby, the same thing was happening to the Kingdom of Kuba, a kingdom which incorporated a couple dozen ethnicities, including the Pygmies. But they were remarkably suspicious of the Europeans and would kill any missionaries. So the Christians had to rely on a black American named William Henry Shepard to enter the country in the 1880s and establish Christian missions. Then in the south, the Lunda Kingdom once controlled an expansive land larger than France. They used to hire the Chokwa people as warriors and hunters, but the Chokwa would break free from their rule and in the 1880s they took over a lot of the old Lunda Kingdom. The Chokwa, then in power, then began to enslave people and traded with Tipu Tip, the Zanzibari trader. The Chokwa themselves were quite a warring people and fought more wars against the Umbunda people. The Umbunda won this war, but their new power worried another neighbor known as the Luvala. Now the Luvala have some customs that are somewhat unique, as they believe in maternal inheritance. Also, coming of age can be quite intense. For instance, a boy is sent to live in a bush camp for months by himself, while a girl remains in a grass hunt for months, being educated by an older lady. These Luvala people were defeated by the Umbunda. Yet, despite all of these wars between the different groups, they continue to have quite an extensive trading network. This was because only the Ovenbundu, living on the Angolan coast, had direct trade with the Portuguese and Europeans, but they received their goods like wax and rubber from Congo. Therefore, they relied on caravans of people journeying between the states of Umbundu Luvala and other states like Kazembe. Most of these rulers, by the way, would remain in power until the 20th century, and some, like the King of Umbundu, has even been recently restored. Otherwise, below the land of Tipu Tip, there was another new arrival in the area. He was Mziri, and he came from Tanzania. He took a militia west, armed with modern rifles, to carve out a state of his own. He formed an alliance with Tipu Tip to conquer the Kazembe kingdom and kill their king, Umwata Kazembe VIII. He then went on to conquer more villages, and in each of the conquered villages, he'd take for himself a wife. In the end, he had over 500 wives, and these allowed him to form alliances, have a hostage should a rebellion come, and a permanent spy working against their own families. Plus, as he was in the center of Africa, he'd traded weapons with the Ovumbundu and Portuguese in the west, and the Arabs in the east. Then there was yet another new arrival in the region, and this was Marambo, whose name literally means corpses, and he was a Nyamwezi warlord that Stanley called the African Bonaparte. Now, Marambo had learned a lot from Shaka Zulu, as the Zulu's expansions in the south pushed people north, and they eventually revealed tactics and information to Marambo. Then, using these tactics as well as modern firearms, he created a formidable army and also a state for himself. This again was mainly based on the slave and ivory trade, but he would later die in 1884, and his state would disintegrate. So, there were three powerful warlords decimating the interior of Congo and Tanzania. The states in Angola, Zambia, and Congo were all fighting one another, the Belgians and Stanley had arrived on the coast, and then the French also arrived nearby. They arrived just to the north of the Congo River, where the Luango Kingdom ruled. Now, they were once probably under the control of the nearby Kingdom of Congo, but had since broken free. The Luango Kingdom were famed cloth producers, and exported a great deal to the Europeans, while their neighbors, the Anzico Kingdom, produced a great deal of metal. And metal was so important to the Anzico Kingdom, that it was not uncommon for the Teke people who lived there to choose a blacksmith as their chief in times of a succession crisis. Well, the Italian-born Pierre Savignan de Brazza began to explore this region, largely using his own funds. Then, in the 1880s, he arrived in the Anzico Kingdom and met King Ilo I, who was willing to put his kingdom under the protection of the French in exchange for the increased trade. Thus, France and Belgium had, within months of one another, set themselves up on different sides of the Congo River. King Ilo I died shortly after making the agreement, but his wife, Ngaliforou, stayed close with the French and would remain so for many years. She was born in the 1860s, but lived into her 90s. So, she died in 1956, just a couple years before the Republic of Congo would get their independence. Now, this puts the whole colonization of Africa into perspective, as a woman who was old enough to agree to fall under French protection, encouraged her people to fight in two world wars, met Charles de Gaulle, and was almost there when the French left. Anyway, Brazza secured a bit of land and created an outpost named Brazzaville. While nearby, Stanley created Leopoldville. The two men would enter into a race in building up their towns in order to become the dominant trading hub. While Brazza himself didn't stay there, he left behind a Senegalese volunteer named Malamin Kamara to supervise the city. But all of this was being observed by the Portuguese nearby. Although the Belgians and the French successfully avoided signing any treaties in land claimed by the Portuguese, the Portuguese were of course suspicious of new European arrivals. And this wasn't the only area heating up, as back in the north, the British and French were both ruling the financial affairs of the indebted Egyptians. Their ruler Ishmael agreed to be a constitutional ruler and had to appoint a prime minister, but he tried to stop paying back debts to the British and French after unpaid soldiers rebelled. So, all the Europeans united to force Ishmael to resign, and his son Tewfiq took over. But Tewfiq was not the greatest leader. For instance, he followed the advice of his officers in banning peasants from the military academy. This move was a little motivated by race, as the Egyptian officers, like the Mamluks before them, were largely Circassian, Albanian, and the likes. So, many Arabs were angered by this, and also the fact that Europeans were controlling Egyptian finances. So, they united behind only one of four Arab colonels, called Ahmed-ur-Abi, and they rebelled. In 1881 they marched on the palace and forced Tewfiq to create a nationalistic parliament. The European nations were of course worried by this, especially when foreigners started being attacked on the streets. So, the French and British sent ships to Alexandria, but Ur-Abi refused their demands and an anti-Christian riot broke out. The British would later invade alone because, although the French had been calling for war for much longer, they had become distracted elsewhere, as when the great powers met at the end of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877, they more or less pushed the French to take Tunisia, and this was all part of the same negotiations that saw the British take Cyprus. Now, there were a few reasons for them to push for France to take Tunisia. First of all, Italy, the newly formed nation, was determined to take more colonies beside their post in Eritrea, and Tunisia was a prime target, but Britain didn't want Italy to control both sides of the Straits of Sicily and have the ability to cut off trade from the Suez Canal. Germany on the other hand wanted to keep France distracted with empire building rather than trying to reclaim Alsace-Lorraine, while France, under Jules Ferry, was keen to go along with it. He was a supporter of colonialism and wanted to expand French holdings across Asia and Africa, plus Tunisia would also secure the Algerian borders and prevent Italy from becoming too powerful. Italy meanwhile, under Bendetto Cairoli, was encouraging Italian migration to Tunisia, playing a more long-term strategy, and they believed that the British would never allow such a takeover. As for Tunisia, Mohammed III as-Sadiq had ruled since 1859. He attempted to modernize his country, but lacked the funds to do so. Tunisia had after all lost a great deal of revenue from piracy, most of their 1 million people were farmers or nomads, and they suffered from many droughts. He therefore welcomed European investment, and like in Egypt, an international commission arrived to manage the country's finances. So taxes were raised, and this pushed some tribes to launch raids. The Cromier tribe raided across the border into French Algeria, giving them a cause for war. 36,000 Frenchmen quickly moved into Tunisia and forced the bay to accept the French takeover, but he still remained as head of state in theory. Italy responded by formally annexing their colony in Eritrea and expanding it a little bit. While back in Egypt with the French away, this meant the British attacked alone when Urabi refused to respond to their ultimatum. The following Anglo-Egyptian war was short, Urabi was exiled and Tewfiq was restored to the throne, but the British would remain until their debts had been repaid, and this in practice meant that Egypt was now in the British Empire. It also meant that the British would now get involved in Egyptian wars in Sudan, which was becoming a very volatile place. Way back in 1873, Ishmael appointed General Charles Gordon to run the equatorial provinces, but there he made a very powerful enemy. This was Sabir Rama, and the British described him as the slaver king, but he had conquered Darfur on behalf of the Egyptians. Sabir Rama tried to have his position as ruler of Darfur made official through bribes, but on his trip north, he was arrested. His son Suleiman unsuccessfully rebelled, but more importantly, a general in his armies named Rabbi Az-Zubayr continued the fight. He took a mercenary army, reconquered some land, and began to push west, taking over Bornu, the ancient empire. So he carved out a state for himself and continued slave trading, and he will be very important in the decades to come. Yet back in Sudan, a cleric named Muhammad Ahmad began gathering followers who despised the Egyptian occupation and high taxation. Then he declared himself the Mari, or the Redeemer of the Islamic world, and launched a jihad in 1881. The Egyptians on the other hand, despite having all of the modern weapons, led terribly planned expeditions, similar to what they did during their wars with the Egyptians. So in 1882, they were ambushed, losing their weapons, uniforms, and supplies. This is around the same time that the British took over Egypt, and another poorly planned expedition under William Hicks was sent south in 1883. At the Battle of El Obeid, they were again crushed, so the British encouraged the Egyptians to leave the area. To oversee the withdrawal, they would send Gordon to Khartoum, but this would end in disaster, as the city would be captured and the Mardis War would begin. But that's in 1885, so we'll again put a pin in it for now. Meanwhile, over in the west, there was further movement during this time. The British had already took Lagos, bought the Danish colonies, and fought the Ashanti War along the west coast. Then in the 1870s, they bought the Dutch colonies in the Gold Coast, upsetting the balance of power in the region. The Dutch, had way back in the 17th century, signed a treaty of protection with the Ashanti Kingdom, while the British often supported their enemies. So now, with the Dutch gone, the Ashanti invaded in 1873. The British responded quickly, and troops were dispatched from the West Indies, Wales, and Scotland. Plus, using locals, they began to construct roads through the dense forests to the Ashanti capital of Kumasi. This, the Third Ashanti War, was over quickly. The Scottish Black Watch, in particular, charged at them with bayonets, forcing the Ashanti to flee the Battle of Amoafo. The capital city was then evacuated, but tragically, the British put it to the torch. This city, of course, contained a great deal of artwork and treasures. But what I find more tragic, the British did complement the city's collection of books contained in the palaces, which were apparently written in many languages. The Ashanti couldn't recover from this war, and they'd be annexed a couple decades later. Meanwhile, in the region, the French had a brand new enemy of their own, the Wasolo Empire. This was an offshoot of another recently established empire, the Tocqueleur Empire, which was founded by Umar Said-o-Tol. When he died in the 1860s, his generals began to assert their independence, and the most successful was Samori Torre. The Wasolo Empire that he created was primarily made up of Mandinka people, who you may have heard of if you've seen Rootes. But slaves were instrumental in his military successes, as his armies wouldn't function without the Sofa, a military unit of slaves which goes back to the Old Mali Empire. These, however, were also equipped with modern rifles, most of which were purchased from the British, who became worried about the French expansion in the area. The French clashed with Samori first in 1883, and then they angered him more in 1885 when they established bases along the coast of what would become Guinea. He was so worried by this that he even offered to accept British protection, but this was refused, as this would have almost inevitably brought the British and French into a war with one another, so Samori would continue to rule independently for another decade or so, primarily because after their first engagement, the French were alarmed by his well-drilled soldiers using modern rifles, and didn't seek out confrontation until later on. Then there was another event to occur just before the conference that divided Africa up into spheres. This was the French invasion of Madagascar. Now, the French did control a couple of islands near Madagascar, but the British had taken Mauritius from them during the Napoleonic Wars, therefore they both desired control, or at least influence, over the ruling Marinda dynasty. This dynasty in Madagascar under Radama I had united most of the island. But in the middle of the 19th century, there were a number of coups and power kept changing hands. Each of the respective leaders began to side with either the British or the French. For instance, Radama II, who ruled in the 1860s, signed an agreement with the French, promising them many concessions, including the right to exploit all of the forest's minerals and unoccupied land. But Radama II only ruled for two years before being killed, and successive governments and rulers would ignore this treaty with the French called the Lambert Treaty. The leader of this coup against Radama II, called the Aristocratic Coup, became the new Prime Minister. He and his younger brother who succeeded him, were more keen on cementing ties with the British and began to modernize their country. This included the abolition of slavery, improving the education system, and hiring Brits to train their army. However, this was almost too little too late, as the French acted quickly to prevent them falling under British influence. In 1883, they used the past treaty to justify an invasion, and by 1885, they forced the Madagascans into their sphere of influence. But this fact was often denied, and another invasion would be ten years later to cement French control. And finally, by 1884, a new colonial power had emerged, and that was Germany. Bismarck had not been interested in the colonial game, preferring to focus on Europe. But he could do little to stop various colonial groups and private businessmen who went to Africa, and almost forced his hand. One of these societies was being led by Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenberg, and they had over 15,000 members, most of which were very influential aristocrats, politicians, and businessmen. One of them was a merchant named Adolf Luderitz, who went to modern-day Namibia and signed an agreement with Chief Joseph Fredericks II of the Nama people. For 100 pounds in gold and 200 rifles, he purchased a stretch of land far larger than Joseph had anticipated, because in the treaty, they bought 20 German geographical miles, which was closer to 140 kilometers, not the 30 kilometers that Joseph would have thought. This land, Luderitz believed, would be a far better place for German migrants to go to, who were already leaving en masse to the Americas. Plus, it would give Germany the prestige that they wanted. But the Germans would also expand in the west, especially in Cameroon. This region at the time was being ruled by Kings Bell and Aqua. They had engaged in trade with the British and even sought their protection at times. For instance, King Bell wrote to the British saying, I at last despaired, having not received any answer. I hence concluded that neither the consuls nor yet the English government cared anything about my country. So he was writing to the British but got no response. So when a German company arrived in 1884 named Janssen and Tomalin, the kings agreed to sign a treaty with them. But this treaty was again vague and merely a treaty of friendship and trade initially. Gustav Nachtigall was instrumental in setting up German colonies in Cameroon and also in Togo, where they negotiated a treaty with King Umlappa III, but some stories suggest that chiefs had been kidnapped and forced into signing the treaties as well. There were other targets for the Germans to go after, like the Capitai and Coba over in Guinea, but the Anglo-French convention of 1882 divided Sierra Leone and Guinea between the two countries, meaning if the Germans moved into would risk a war. The other German colonies were established over in the east, where Karl Peters formed the East African Company and travelled out to modern day Tanzania to sign agreements with small groups of people like the Ukami and Unguru. This new territory was called Peter's Land and he would later threaten to sell it to the Belgians if he didn't receive imperial German protection for himself. This tactic was used across Africa as the colonists forced the German government to offer protection, so in 1884 the Germans sent fleets and commissioners to the new colonies and brought them all into the German Empire, but then Bismarck needed to get them recognised as German colonies by the international community, so the Berlin Conference was held in late 1884 to early 1885. Meanwhile, the British took over some little posts to counter German influence like in Walvis Bay in Namibia, but this was all pretty inconsequential as Bismarck was to host the conference to keep the peace and cement control over his new colonies. But he had just a few years earlier held the Congress of Berlin, which divided up the Ottoman Empire after their war with Russia, and now he was centre stage on the treaties dividing up Africa. People have debated why he suddenly went from an anti-colonist to a colonist almost overnight, as before he once said he would be happy to see France take over all of Africa to keep them occupied. But in just a couple of months he was claiming chunks of Africa. Maybe it was all due to public opinion, or in spite of the anti-colonial liberal party, who he wanted to undermine, it's all really hard to say. Anyway, 14 countries attended the conference, 5 of which had nothing to gain, Austria-Hungary, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and the United States. Now you may ask yourself why these countries didn't claim anything? Well, simply put, besides the United States, they were all far too poor to enter the colonial game. It was expensive to take over land, police it, and have a large enough navy to protect your interests. Sweden for instance was particularly poor in the 19th century, and their population was in decline because huge numbers of people were fleeing to the United States. The US meanwhile, for the time being at least, opposed creating empires and besides Liberia, had no interest in the continent. Plus you could also throw the Ottoman Empire into this group. They clung on to Libya, but really didn't have much say at all. They were weakened and on their last legs at the time. Then there was also Russia, who may also be seen as a useless member of the conference, but as you'll see in the next video, they did have some, albeit very small, colonial ambitions. The Spanish as well were pretty inactive. They would soon lose their colonies like the Philippines and Cuba, and were suffering from political instability. So they kept hold of their territory in Equatorial Guinea, and they did make a very small claim in the coast of Southern Morocco or Western Sahara. This was nearby islands they already owned, but their control was pretty limited for a while. They faced fierce resistance from the locals, and the only people who accepted their protection had no rights to give it away. But in 15 years or so, they would form an alliance with the French and divide up Morocco. The Portuguese on the other hand, despite being one of the poorest nations in Europe, would desperately try to expand their holdings, especially after Brazil had achieved their independence. In the north they did little to expand Guinea-Bissau. They kept hold of their islands like Cape Verde, but their true goals were in the south. Their pink map, as it was called, highlights their ambitions to unite the colonies of Angola and Mozambique. So it would have included Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. As for the other nations, the Belgians had taken land in the Congo and would set about expanding it, and the Italians would move further into East Africa. The French meanwhile looked to connect their colonies of Guinea and Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east, while the British hoped to claim everything in between Cape Town and Cairo. Well, this is the often repeated story, but the French and British ambitions really only became prominent in the 1890s. Cecil Rhodes for instance only came into prominence in the years following the conference, and he was the champion of the Cape to Cairo ambition. Plus it was never an official position, more like the words of one man, albeit a very influential man. The same thing could be said for the French, so they really didn't bring these ambitions to the conference. The conference mainly just discussed the current claims and set the boundaries between them. One of the most important items discussed was the where the countries had the right to claim any land beyond their coastal possessions, but this was largely ignored in later years as it presented more problems than it solved. The conference however did establish the idea that each country had to establish some sort of control over an area in order to claim it. This meant the Portuguese claims based on discovery were null and void, and every country would at least have to set up some form of base or sign treaties in order to claim a region. So this meant that the conference was sort of opposite of drawing lines on a map, besides of course the boundaries between already established colonies like in West Africa. The conference actually began a race, sometimes a literal race, to sign treaties and establish control, as it was only when they established control that the colony would be recognised as theirs. But we'll look at the results of the conference next episode.