The Making of Modern Africa-2nd week
African Colonial History
Colonialism and colonies
Colonialism and Colonies, is one country’s domination of another country or people—usually achieved through aggressive, often military, actions—and the territory acquired in this manner
Colonial Motives
Economic Interpretation- raw materials, minerals and agricultural products
Missionary Influence and abolitionism (Divide Religiously)
Pseudo-Scientific Racism
European Rivalries
Cultural Imperialism and Racism
Motives for Colonization
In general, strong countries dominated weaker ones to promote their own national self-interest, out of economic, religious, cultural, or other reasons. It has been said that the three primary motives for establishing colonies were gold, God, and glory, but the main incentives were usually economic.
Economic Motives
The colonizing country could control important markets for its exports (such as cotton products) and deny these markets to its competitors. Colonies were also important as sources of raw materials (such as raw cotton) and as opportunities for investment. A country often also increased its wealth by conquering another civilization and taking its riches or by exploiting the mineral wealth of another land
Strategic and political motives
Sometimes colonies were important for strategic reasons —for example, the Cape of Good Hope, on the southern tip of Africa, guarded European sailors’ southern route to Asia. Also, some countries occupied colonies in order to protect previous investments. In Egypt, a nationalist uprising in 1882 threatened British investments in the Canal of Suez. They occupied Egypt to control the situation.
Religious and cultural motives
European countries also wanted to spread their religious beliefs and cultures that they believed are superior to natives ones.
Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference of 1884–85 regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period, and coincided with Germany's sudden emergence as an imperial power. Called for by Portugal and organized by Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of Germany.It caused the elimination of most existing forms of African autonomy and self governance.
The ‘General Act’ fixed the following points:
The Free State of the Congo was confirmed as private property of the Congo Society, property of Léopold II (King of Belgium)
The 14 signatory powers would have free trade throughout the Congo basin.
The Niger and Congo Rivers were made free for ship traffic.
A Principle of Effectivity was introduced to stop powers setting up colonies in name only.
The possession of any portion of the African coast gave right to occupy the inland but must be notified to the other countries.
Africa was divided between the main powers of Europe.
Consequences of Colonialism
The implications of colonial rule on the colonies are considerable, and there was a large impact on local economics, culture and political systems. The manner in which decolonization took place also led to problems. Many geographers see a colonial past as probably the most important initial condition for underdevelopment.
Deprivation of resources and exploitation of native labour force.
African imports were banned by the metropolitan powers of Europe, but they flood the colonial market with cheap European goods to destroy the local industries.
Slavery is probably the worst legacy of colonialism. It is estimated that between 1601 and 1870, 15,200,000 left Africa
Racism. The natives of the country were made to feel inferior.
Countries of Southern Africa
Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland
Colonialism
During this time, many European countries expanded their empires by aggressively establishing colonies in Africa so that they could exploit and export Africa’s resources.
Raw materials like rubber, timber, diamonds, and gold were found in Africa.
Europeans also wanted to protect trade routes.
Europeans in Africa
During the 1800s, Europeans moved further into the continent in search of raw materials and places to build successful colonies.
Great Britain, France, & Germany fought over control of land that is now Egypt and Sudan.
Belgians took control of the Congo.
The natives often fought against the European powers; however, they often lost because the European weapons were superior.
The Zulu nation fought the British in South Africa and the Ashanti struggled to hold onto what is now Ghana.
Geographic Reasons
Europeans first became interested in Africa for trade route purposes.
They were looking for ways to avoid the taxes of the Arab and Ottoman empires in Southwest Asia.
Sailing around Africa was the obvious choice, but it was a long voyage and could not be completed without “pit stops” along the way.
Europeans created ports in southern and eastern Africa so traders could restock supplies before crossing the Indian Ocean.
Economic Reasons
Economic motivation played a large part in the colonization of Africa.
The 1800s was a time of great industrialization in Europe (Industrial Revolution).
Factories required raw materials that could be manufactured into marketable products.
When Europeans returned to Africa for more resources they brought back the manufactured goods and sold them to Africans.
Africa became a new market for Europe to sell goods.
The Scramble for Africa
Triangular Trade to 1800
Legitimate Trade and Spheres of Influence
Spheres of Influence (the China Model)
The Role of the Trading Companies
German East African Company
French West African Trading Company
British East and British South African Companies
Political Reasons
Politics in Europe also led to the colonization of Africa.
Nationalism, a strong sense of pride in one's nation, resulted in competition between European nations.
No major nation wanted to be without colonies, which led to this “Scramble for Africa”.
The competition was particularly fierce between Great Britain, France, and Germany, the strongest European nations in the 1800s.
Religious Reasons
Christian missionary work gained strength during the 1800s as European countries were becoming more involved in Africa.
Many missionaries were supportive of the colonization of Africa because they believed that European control would provide a political environment that would help missionary activity.
The idea of “Christianizing” Africa also made many Europeans look favorably on the colonization of the continent.
Origins of Colonialism: 1890-1914
West Africa: French vs. British and Assimilation vs. Indirect Rule
From Company Rule to Indirect Rule
Smaller Powers
East Africa: Settlers and Imperialism
German Authoritarianism,
White Highlands
British East Africa Company
Origins of Colonialism Central and Southern Africa
Jan van Riebeck and the Cape- 1652
Britain- Cape Colony: 1815
Cecil John Rhodes: British South Africa Company
The Rhodesias and Nyasaland- Company Rule to 1923
From Federation to UDI
Types of Territories
Without European Settlers- Nkrumah and the Mosquito
Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone
Without European Settlers- Protectorates
Uganda, Zanzibar, Nyasaland
With European Settlers (No Home rule)
Kenya, Tanzania, Northern Rhodesia
With European Settlers (Home rule)
Rhodesia, South Africa, South West Africa (after 1920)
Portuguese colonialism
Earliest explorers in Africa
Policy of trade, not settlement
Gold as part of mercantilism
Diseases harmful to Europeans
Developed slavery system in late 1400s
Laborers as commodities to be used up
Linking status and humanity with color
FIRST WHITE SETTLEMENT
Portuguese and Dutch explorers rounded the Cape of Good Hope to find a trade route to the East.
The Dutch East India Company landed the first European settlers in 1652.
They were known as Boers or Afrikaaners and spoke a Dutch dialect known as Afrikaans.
The British settled in 1795 and took possession in 1815.
The Dutch made the Great Trek inland and established the republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.
Berlin Conference
By the 1880s, Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal all wanted part of Africa.
To prevent a European war over Africa, leaders from fourteen European governments and from the United States met in Berlin, Germany, in 1884.
No Africans attended the meeting.
At the meeting, the European leaders discussed Africa’s land and how it should be divided.
Berlin Conference
Political Boundaries after Berlin Conference
Artificial Boundaries
European powers organized Africa’s population in ways to make the most efficient workforce, ignoring the natives’ cultural groups or existing political leadership at the time of colonization.
Sometimes they grouped together people who had never been united under the same government before.
Sometimes they divided existing groups of people.
The creation of these borders had a negative impact on Africa’s political and social structures by either dividing groups that wanted to be together or combining ethnic groups that were enemies.
Artificial Boundaries
Europeans placed colonies into administrative districts and forced the Africans to go along with their demands.
In order to establish their indirect rule, Europeans used local chiefs as their enforcers in the colonies.
Europeans also tried to assimilate Africans (have African people give up their own African customs and adopt European customs).
Protests and revolts were common and starvation and disease became widespread.
Lasting Effects
Europeans took the best land by force.
African farmers were forced to grow cash crops like cocoa and coffee, causing there to be a shortage of food in many areas of Africa.
Africans were forced to work under terrible conditions on plantations, railways, and logging.
In order to gain power, Europeans encouraged Africans to fight against each other.
New political boundaries caused ethnic groups to clash.
This has led to ethnic and political unrest in Africa today.
There have been over 50 ethnic conflicts in Africa since WWII as a result of the colonial lines drawn by Europeans.
African Unrest
By the mid-twentieth century, Africans began to openly oppose European control of their countries.
It was obvious that colonialism was not fair, as it only benefitted the Europeans.
Africans were tired of being treated like second-class citizens on their own land.
They soon begin to demand freedom for themselves…
THE BOER WAR (1899 – 1902)
Diamonds and gold were discovered in these inland areas in 1867, bringing an influx of “outlanders”
Cecil Rhodes, PM of Cape Colony, tried to spark a rebellion of outlanders to take over for the British.
When this failed, The Boer War broke out between the British and the Dutch.
This was the first guerrilla war where the enemy wore no uniform.
The Boers were defeated in 1910.
South Africa was now a British colony.
In 1910 the Union of South Africa was formed.
Louis Botha, a Boer, became the first PM and established the African National Congress in 1912 to represent the Africans.
The grand African nations once led by Chaka Zulu had long since been defeated and their culture forgotten
THE HOMELANDS
Jan Smuts took the nation into World War II on the side of the Allies.
South Africa was a Charter Member of the United Nations but refused to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Apartheid (racial separation) dominated domestic politics as the Nationalists gained power. Restrictions were placed on all Coloreds (meaning any non-white person).
Black voters were removed from voter rolls in 1936.
The Group Areas Acts forced Africans to move from cities to rural townships where they lived in poverty under repressive laws.
Africans had lost their homeland and were forced to live in Homelands
SHANTY-TOWNS
South Africa declared itself a republic in 1961.
The white supremacist National Party ruled for three decades.
Apartheid became an official policy for all.
Shanty-towns grew on the outskirts of major cities to first house workers for the mines and other industries then as the only refuge for the poor who could not survive on poor land.
This is the state of affairs which is the background to Cry, the Beloved Country