The Scramble for Africa

Important Vocabulary Term

• When a country makes itself more powerful by brining additional territories (called colonies) under its control, it is called…..

• Imperialism/Colonialism

Why Colonize Africa?

Why Colonize Africa?

Agricultural Opportunities: Africa has a climate that allows for an abundance of useful crops to be grown

Why Colonize Africa?

Forestry Opportunities:Abundant forests and rainforests

Trees which produce high-quality wood to make useful products

Why Colonize Africa?

Minerals:Abundant supplies of gold, diamonds,

platinum, and nickel

Why Colonize Africa?

Oil & natural gas deposits

Why Colonize Africa?

A population that was easy to exploit for slave labor because of extreme

poverty & damage caused by the slave trade.

Why Colonize Africa?

A good location to trade products made in European factories

Why Colonize Africa?

Opportunities for Christian missionaries to convert Africans to

their religion

Many European countries wanted to establish colonies

• Great Britain

• Belgium• France• Germany• Italy• Portugal• Spain

• Netherlands• Russia• Denmark• Ottoman Empire• Austria-Hungary• Norway• Sweden

Berlin Conference of 1884• European leaders meet in Berlin to avoid

wars over territory– Known as the “Berlin Conference”

• Goal: Figure out how to divide Africa• Over 80% of Africa was independent at the

time• European countries divide Africa among

themselves• No Africans were represented at the

conference• Europeans believed that Africa didn’t belong

to anyone, so it was free for the taking

The Scramble Begins

• Europeans began to exploit Africans for slave or cheap labor

• Began to overuse African resources• By 1912, only Liberia & Ethiopia were

independent

Impact of Colonial Rule

1.Worsened conflict among ethnic groups

-Ignored cultural dynamics/tension when they divided the continent

-Example: Hutus & Tutsis in Rwanda

Impact of Colonial Rule

2. Looked down on African cultures, forcing them to assimilate to

European culture.

**Assimilation: The process by which a group’s native culture is lost under

pressure to integrate into a dominant group’s culture.**

Impact of Colonial Rule

3. Resources were overused and abused

Impact of Colonial Rule

4. European countries did not provide enough money to colonies to allow them to produce adequate roads,

buildings, education systems, health care systems, and housing.

**In other words= Undeveloped/poor countries**

Impact of Colonial Rule

5. Africans forced to labor for the Europeans under poor working conditions,

long hours, and inadequate pay.

Impact of Colonial Rule

6. Many families split up—men left to work in mines, leaving women & children to fend for themselves.

Political Cartoonsand the

Scramble for Africa

What is a political cartoon?

• An illustration containing a political or social message; used as a way of speaking out for or against something that is happening in the world.

What is this political cartoon

saying about England?

What is the cartoon

comparing England to?

What countries are represented in this cartoon?

Why are the men pulling at Africa?

How does the cartoon represent

colonization in Africa?

Who do you think the snake

represents?

What is the message of the cartoon?

Look at the title of the cartoon. How does that help you interpret the overall meaning?

Assignment Option A: You be the Cartoonist

• Create your own political cartoon that represents the Europeans fighting for land in Africa

• Your cartoon must be:–Creative–Colored–Easy to understand–One you can explain out loud–A whole sheet of computer paper

Assignment Option B: Write a Journal Entry

• Your other option is to write a journal entry from the perspective of either a European colonizer or an African during the time of colonization

• Your journal must:- Be NEATLY handwritten or typed

-Be a MINIMUM of 10 sentences long-Be written in first person-Have proper grammar/spelling