Unit 7 – Imperialism Notes Africa What is Imperialism? 

Imperialism – Seizure of a country or territory by a stronger country.  Stronger countries control the political, social, and economic life of the weaker countries.

African Imperialism 

African tribes had fought off European influence for hundreds of years.

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By the mid 1800s, Europe had enough of an advantage to begin taking control.

David Livingstone 

David Livingstone was a missionary who wanted to spread Christianity in Central Africa.

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He went missing and Henry Stanley, an American reporter, was sent to find him.

Stanley After Livingstone 

After finding Livingstone, Stanley was hired by King Leopold II of Belgium to obtain land around the Congo River.

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Once gaining this land, Leopold forced the natives to work for him. 

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Main crop was Rubber.

An estimated 10 million natives died because of neglect under King Leopold’s rule.

Scramble for Africa 

King Leopold’s seizure of the Congo sparked the interest of many other European countries.

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They started claiming parts of Africa.

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These nations were motivated by industrialism and nationalism.

European View of Imperialism 

Europeans felt as though they were better than the natives of the land.

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The belief that one race is superior to others is called Racism.

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Also, the idea of Social Darwinism is used to justify imperialism.

 Social Darwinism – Survival of the fittest; the stronger nation is meant to prevail over weaker ones. The Berlin Conference 

In 1884, the major European nations met at the Berlin Conference to divide up Africa.  Meeting led by Otto von Bismarck

African Imperialism: Conflicts with Europeans Control of Colonies 

Paternalism – Providing for the colony’s needs, but taking away the rights of the people.

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Assimilation – Making local populations adopt European culture.

South Africa 

The tip of South Africa had been a Dutch Colony since the 1600s, but the British took over the colony in the early 1800s.

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The British forced the Dutch to move further inland.

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These Dutch farmers were known as Boers.

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The Boers crossed into the territory of an African tribe called the Zulus.

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The Zulu’s large empire was due to new military tactics brought on by their chief, Shaka.

The Zulus and the Europeans 

After Shaka’s death, the Zulus launched attacks on the Boers and the British.

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This conflict was known as the Anglo-Zulu War.

The Boer War 

The Boers and the British began fighting each other over control of resources.

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The Boers were very wealthy and had the best technology available, but did not have the numbers to beat the British.

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Britain won the Boer War in 1910