Scribd
Upload
58 views4 pages

The Scramble and Partition of Southern Africa

Uploaded by

sibandanatasha072
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
58 views4 pages

The Scramble and Partition of Southern Africa

Uploaded by

sibandanatasha072
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

THE SCRAMBLE AND PARTITION OF SOUTHERN AFRICA

 -Scramble was the rush for colonies.


 -Partition refers to the division of Southern African colonies by European powers.
 -In the Scramble and partition of Southern Africa the most powerful countries were able to
get more colonies and vice versa.
 -European countries involved in the Scramble for Africa included Britain, Germany, Portugal,
Belgium and Holland / Netherlands.

European country Colonies


-Germany -Namibia [South West Africa]
-Portugal -Mozambique [Portuguese East Africa]/Angola [Portuguese West Africa]
-Britain -Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland and
Zambia
-Holland -Transvaal
-Belgium -Congo

Reasons for the Scramble and partition of Southern Africa

Economic reasons

 -The need for raw materials by Europeans


 -The need for markets in Southern Africa
 -The need for cheap labour for greater profits
 -The need for areas to invest surplus capital in Southern Africa
 -The need for fertile land for agriculture
 -There was improved transport which facilitated travel overseas
 -Good climatic conditions in Southern Africa
 -The need acquire protectorate for trade
 -The discovery of minerals like gold and diamonds in South Africa
 -The need for wild life [game]
 -The need for ivory
 -The need to acquire colonies for resources
 -The need for pastures

Social reasons
 -The need to settle population pressure
 -Availability of quinine and tablets gave whites the confidence to venture into the interior of
Africa.
 -There were good climatic conditions in Southern Africa which were favourable to the health
of some European nationals like Rhodes.
 -The need to civilise Africans
 -The need to educate Africans
 -The need to spread Christianity
 -The need to end slave trade
 -Racial superiority of Europeans
Political reasons

-The upset of balance of power led to the Scramble for Southern Africa.
-Southern Africa was colonised for prestige reasons.
-Southern Africa was colonised for strategic reasons.
-Diplomatic reasons also led to the scramble.
-The Berlin Conference also contributed.
-Influence of European agents
-The whites had superior weapons than Africans.
-Explorers encouraged colonisation.
-Public opinion and pressure
-Rhodes’ Cape to Cairo dream
-Encouraging reports from hunters and traders
-The need to spread political influence
-The Boers wanted to extend their territory beyond the Limpopo River to avoid being encircled by the
British.

Political factors in Africa


-Disunity of local people
-Wars amongst Africans
-Africans had inferior weapons

Political aims of Britain in the Scramble for Southern Africa

-To fulfil the Cape to Cairo dream


-To establish a crown colony in Botswana and secure the missionary road
-To carry on the white men’s burden of civilising the African barbarian-Social Darwinism
-Pressure from the electorate
-To create a British empire of colonies stretching from South Africa to Egypt
-To stop Portuguese expansion
-To gain prestige
-To encircle the Boers

Political aims of Germany in the Scramble for Southern Africa


-Germany wanted to make enemies with France by forcing Britain to move next to her
-To gain prestige
-To civilise Africans
-Pressure from the electorate

Economic aims of Britain and Germany in the Scramble for Southern Africa
-Markets -Raw materials
-Cheap labour -Investment opportunities
-Fertile land -Hunting grounds
-Minerals -Need for cattle
-Pastures

QN: To what extent had Britain achieved her aims in Southern Africa by 1900?
Achievements

-She occupied Bechuanaland, frustrated Germany and the Boers


-She occupied Zimbabwe, frustrated the Boers and Portuguese
-The missionary road was kept open
-She managed to take the gold and diamond producing areas

Failures
-She failed to completely dislodge the Boers in South Africa
-She failed to have access to the Indian Ocean via Mozambique
-She failed to create a federation of whites in South Africa

The Berlin Conference [1884-85

This conference was convened by Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor of Germany from 1871 to 1890
to chart ways of partitioning Africa peacefully. It was held in Berlin, in Germany. It was also meant to
curb the increasing conflicts over colonies. Africans were not invited. Countries which were
represented were Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium.

Terms of the Berlin Conference

 -Africa was divided into 20 spheres of influence


 -There was to be effective occupation of spheres of influence
 -Each country was to make sure that there was a marked development in its sphere of
influence
 -There was to be freedom of navigation on major rivers like Niger, Zambezi, Nile and Congo
 -Slave trade and slavery were to be abolished where they still existed
 -All countries were to recognise king Leopold’s occupation of Congo and Britain’s
occupation of Egypt. There was to be recognition of existing spheres of influence by
European powers
 -They agreed to notify each other of new spheres of influence
 -Any intending country was to sign treaties with local rulers as legal right to occupy that area
 -They were to respect the rights of the indigenous people
 -They were to develop infrastructure in areas colonised
 -They were to create new political structures
 -They were to draw boundaries
 -They were to settle disputes peacefully
 -They were to hoist national flags in areas colonised

Contribution of the Berlin Conference in stimulating the Scramble and partition of Southern
Africa
 -It legalised the partition of Africa. It set rules of the game of partition. It legitimised the
occupation of Southern Africa
 -Many treaties were signed with African chiefs leading to the eventual occupation of their
territories
 -Chiefs were cheated or deceived
 -European powers competed for unoccupied areas of Southern Africa
 -There was also scramble to define and extend boundaries of existing spheres of influence by
the British, Portuguese, Boers and Germans.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy