"The Scramble for Africa"

The horror, the horror, so wrote Joseph Conrad in Heart of Darkness, which detailed a man's journey into Africa during the late 19th century. These words sum up the realities of what occurred during the scramble for Africa throughout the late 19th century and early 20th century, when European powers colonised Africa. In 1870 just 10% of the continent had been colonised, but by 1914 this was at 90%. Up until the 1870s European powers only possessed trading posts along the coastline of Africa and were reluctant to travel inland due to the threat of tropical diseases. With the development of Quinine, more intrepid explorers could map out Africa and soon the imperial powers followed close behind. France had taken Algeria and Morocco by 1870 and later Tunisia. The Cape Colony was claimed by Great Britain at the same time, and Angola and Mozambique by Portugal. The British then quickly took the Suez region just after to enable safer passage to India, and it was followed close behind by Egypt and the Sudan. The newly unified Germany joined in on the world stage under Weltpolitik, claiming Namibia, Togoland, the Cameroons and Tanganyika, whereas Italy claimed Eritrea, Somaliland and Libya. The Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885 was an attempt to mediate the rapid and chaotic imperial competition in Africa. Rules were laid out and dealings done despite the facade of rhetoric about humanitarian intentions. By the end of the scramble for Africa in 1914, the only independent African states were Liberia and Ethiopia. The colonisation of Africa throughout this time was sold to the world public as a philanthropic endeavour, as Europeans supposedly enlightened Africans and civilised them. However, the abundance of raw materials on the African continent were the real attraction, as there was a need for materials such as copper, cotton, rubber, palm oil, cocoa, diamonds, tea and tin, due to evolving technology and tastes in Europe. Africa also offered the European powers an open market to boost trade and make investments with excess capital. There were also state-centred reasons for African imperialism. A strategic rivalry between the larger European powers spread to Africa, which became a territory where nations could enhance their prestige and then carry out the white man's burden. Named the Dark Continent because of its mystery, this became fused with the Darkest Continent as people saw it as backwards and uncivilised, because it didn't have the industrialised towns that existed in Europe. This and other forms of overt racism led to appalling behaviour by colonists throughout Africa. An example of this being in Leopold II's Congo Free State, where it is estimated that half of the population died between 1885 and 1908, a situation mirrored in much of Africa, as European powers went about resource extraction in a brutal manner with scant regard for local populations. Established African tribes and kingdoms with their rich histories and cultures were ignored and suppressed by European colonists. After decolonisation in the latter 20th century, the imperial powers left behind economies that were designed to benefit them, and there was little training or impartial advice for those left to take the reins. The history of Africa during and since the imperial age is tragic, and it's important for us to recognise the role played by European powers in this tragedy. Thanks for watching this 4-minute history on the Scramble for Africa, and please look in the description below for books and movies you should check out for a more detailed and nuanced look at all things associated with this period in African history. If you found that interesting, you may be interested in another 4-minute history on an array of topics throughout human history. And finally, please don't forget to subscribe. Thanks for watching, and see you soon.