HIST 121 TOPIC 5

THE NEW IMPERIALISM AND THE COLONIZATION

OF AFRICA AND ASIA

o European Invasion and the Process of Colonization of Africa

o Introduction In the last Quarter of the 19th century, Britain, Germany, France,
Italy, Belgium and Portugal were in Africa, competing for colonies to boost their
social, economic and political standing. They convened the Berlin conference of
1884-1885 (convened by Otto Von Bismarck, the Germany Chancellor) where
they shared Africa in Europe without regard to the inhabitants. This is what is
termed the invasion of Africa. By 1914, apart from Liberia and Ethiopia, the rest
of Africa had been colonized.
o The scramble and partition of Africa.
o Scramble.
o It refers to the rushing for something. In the African situation, it meant the rush
for and struggle by European powers to acquire various parts of Africa during the
19th century. Partition It refers to the sharing of something In the African
situation, it referred to the actual division of Africa by European powers during
the Berlin conference of 1884-1885 Methods used by Europeans to acquire
colonies in Africa. 1) Signing of treaties; a) Treaty signing with African leaders. ~
The British signed the Maasai Agreements (1904 and 1911), Buganda Agreement
of 1900 and the Lewanika-Lochner treaty with Lozi. The royal Niger Company
had by 1884, signed 37 treaties through George Goldie, with African leaders in
Niger delta, Yorubaland and Gambia. ~ Carl peters signed treaties on behalf of
Germany with the chiefs of Uzigua, Ukami, Usagara and ungulu. These treaties
facilitated the acquisition of those areas for colonization. b) Treaties signed
amongst European powers. These were known as Partition Agreements. For
example; ~ The Anglo-Germany Agreements of 1886 and 1890 and Heligoland
between the British and the Germans over the sharing of East Africa. ~ The Anglo
Italian treaty signed in 1891 between the Italians and the British over possession
 of Eritrea and the Somali coast. ~ The treaty between the British and Portugal and
France in 1890 on the sharing of Madagascar (France) Mozambique and Angola
(Portugal). 2) Military conquest/ Use of force. Europeans employed outright war
against those societies that resisted their invasion. E.g a) The French war against
the Mandinka of Samori Toure (1870-1899) and their conquest of western Sudan
from Senegal to Chad specifically in the Tukolor Empire, Segu and Masina by
1898. Tunisia, morocco and Algeria were acquired forcefully. b) The British used
military force in the Nandi resistance from 1895-1905, the Chimurenga wars
involving the Shona/Ndebele against the British, forced acquisition of Egypt and
Sudan c) The Germans fought the Maji Maji wars from 1905- 1907
 The Italians were defeated during their Ethiopian campaign, by Menelik II in the battle of
Adowa in 1896. e) The Portuguese forcefully established their rule over Angola, Guinea
Bissau and Mozambique. 3) Use of missionaries as frontrunners. The Europeans used
missionaries, carrying a bible in one hand and a gun in the other, who tried to convince
the Africans to support the European goals. ~ Missionaries manipulated local quarrels
and took sides in a view to promote European occupation.
o For example, in the case of Buganda where we had religious conflicts between
Protestants, Muslims, Catholics and Traditionalists.
o ~ Sometimes the missionaries went to war against each other and against
Africans. e.g the Franza-Ingeleza war of 1892 that pitted the Protestants (British)
against the Catholics (French). Fredrick Lugard’s intervention on the side of
Protestants set stage for the acquisition of Uganda by the British.
o ~ In Bulozi, Father Francois Coillard convinced Lewanika of the benefits of
British protection.
o ~ In Nyasaland (Malawi) which was depicted as Livingstone’s country,
missionaries (read role of Scottish missionaries) shaped public opinion in favour
of imperial control.
o 4) Treachery and Divide and rule policy.
o ~ The Europeans instigated inter-tribal wars causing some Africans to support
them against warring communities. E.g. use of the Wanga against the Luo and the
Luhya in Kenya, the Ndebele/shona against the Lozi in Rhodesia.
 o ~ The Italians lied to Menelik II by signing a treaty of friendship but which was
published in Italian version indicating that Ethiopia had agreed becoming an
Italian protectorate.
o ~ The Maasai agreement was written in a language that the Lenana never
understood.
o 5) Use of company rule. The British and the Germans used chartered companies
to acquire and rule their colonies. for example, the role played by the British
South African Company of Cecil Rhodes, Imperial British East African Company
of Sir William Mackinnon and the German East Africa Company of Carl Peters.
o 6) Luring/enticements. The Europeans gave gifts like cloth, weapons tools, drinks
etc to African chiefs like Lewanika of the Lozi and Mwanga of Buganda thus
luring them into collaboration.
o 7) Diplomatic skills. This involved building relations with African leaders, which
were later, used to acquire the areas. The British employed this method in
Maasailand and Yorubaland.
o 8) A blend of diplomacy and force. The British for example initially signed
treaties with the Ndebele (Moffat and Rudd treaties), but they fought them during
the Ndebele war of 1897.
o FACTORS THAT LED TO THE SCRAMBLE FOR COLONIES IN
AFRICA.
o Economic factors
o The industrial revolution in Europe.
 The revolution led to search for markets for European manufactured goods in Africa
resulting in scramble for and partition.
 The need for raw materials. The machines invented processed goods faster than use of
hand. The Europeans came to Africa in search of raw materials like cotton, palm oil,
copper and iron ore.
 Cheap labour was also readily available in Africa after the abolition of slave trade.
 There was desire by the entrepreneurs to invest excess capital gained from accumulation
of profits from industrial investment. Africa provided an avenue for investment.
 Industrial revolution led to improved transport system, which was necessary for effective
colonization.
 The military hardware manufactured during the revolution enabled Europeans to conquer
African territories.
 The discovery of medicine enabled the Europeans to survive the African conditions and
protect themselves from diseases such as malaria, yellow fever etc.
 Those who were rendered unemployed in Europe due to invention of machines had to
move to Africa to assist in harnessing raw materials.
 Industrial revolution led to intense rivalry in trade, which was projected, into Africa.
o Speculation about the availability of deep pockets of minerals in Africa. Gold and
Bronze had been items of trade in Africa for centuries. The discovery of Diamond
at Kimberly in the 1860s and Gold in the 1870s precipitated their appetite for
Africa more.
o Political reasons.
o Unification of Germany after under Otto Von Bismarck after the Franco-Prussian
war of 1870-71. The rise of Germany upset the balance of power in Europe and
there was need to rebalance out through acquisition of colonies in Africa. France
for example had to redeem her lost glory (especially after the loss of mineral rich
Alsace and Lorraine provinces) by acquiring eight colonies in Africa.
o The rise of Public opinion in Europe. There was growth of public support towards
the acquisition of colonies. With the rise of democracy in European states in the
19th c, it was fatal for any government to ignore public opinion.
 For example in 1882, due to public demand, the French assembly was compelled to ratify
De Brazza’s treaty with Chief Makoko thus creating a French colony in Congo.
 German took over South-West Africa (Namibia), Togo and Cameroon due to what
Bismarck termed as public demand.
 In Britain, the public demanded that Britain must maintain her position as the leading
colonizing power by taking her share in Africa.
o Militarism.
o Army officers in Europe favoured colonial expansionist wars to give them greater
opportunities for glory or promotion.
 For example, in Sudan, it was the military offers, in search of glory, and not the French
government who directed the extent of French colonization.
 British soldiers like Wolseley Kitchener supported the expansion of the British Empire in
Africa.
o The rise of Nationalism.
o In Europe, there was the rise of a general feeling of civilians that their nations
should acquire overseas colonies for national prestige. The Germans began
feeling they belonged to a superior race that must be shown by acquiring colonies
in Africa.
o Strategic reasons.
 Construction of the Suez Canal. (The Egyptian question).
 ~ The construction of the Suez Canal, opened in 1869, promoted a link
between Europe and Asia/ shortened the routes to Far East. It also
promoted international trade. It also made Egypt gain some strategic
importance to Europeans.
o ~ The inability of Khedive Ishmael (1863-1879) to pay for the cost of the
construction of the canal (due to his extravagancy) led to British full occupation
of Egypt in 1882, being a major shareholder in the Anglo-Suez Company that
owned the canal.
o ~ The dismayed French planned diversions of the Nile waters, and make Egypt a
desert, after occupying territories to the south of Egypt.
o ~ It was against the backdrop that Britain claimed Uganda (source of the Nile) in
1894, Kenya (the gateway to Uganda) in 1895 and Sudan (where the Nile passes)
in 1898.
o French activities in West Africa and the Congo The activities of France in Congo
and West Africa, after loss of Egypt, through their Italian agent Savorgnan de
Brazza in connection to acquisition of colonies alarmed other powers. This
encouraged powers like Germany to join in the scramble and acquire Togo,
Cameroon, Namibia and Tanganyika.
o The personal activities of King Leopold II of Belgium. ~ He endeavored to create
a personal empire. In 1876, Leopold convened the Brussels Geographical
 Conference where he formed a business company, the International African
Association comprising explorers and traders with a mission to civilize Africa,
abolish slave trade and establish free trade.
o ~ As a result of the activities of his agent, Henry Morton Stanley who created the
Congo Free State, Leopold had established a personal empire in 1884.
 ~ It was the activities of king Leopold leading to intense rivalry amongst
European nations over Congo that led to the convening of the Berlin
Conference in 1884.
 Social reasons
o The work of Christian missionaries
o ~ They created an atmosphere of friendship with Africans by giving those gifts
like cloths and beer, introducing economic activities like farming, carpentry,
clerical work, among Africans, that were important virtues in the process of
colonization.
 ~ Where they were in danger, they pressurized their home governments to
protect them.
 ~ The missionaries had direct contact with the people of the interior of
Africa and they were front-runners who paved way for the colonialists
through their works.
o ~ They preached peace, love and hard work and hence calmed down the emotions
of Africans towards the Europeans. ~ Some of them wrote exaggerated reports
about Africa to convince Europeans to take interest in Africa.
 The growth of European population. The growth of European population –steadily to
about 420 million in the 19th century led to the quest for new outlets to resettle the
population. e.g– Britain settled some of her people in Australia, New Zealand, USA,
Canada and South Africa. German, Portugal and Dutch also had to find places in Africa
to settle some of their people. 3. Anti-slave trade campaigns- Humanitarian factor.
 The humanitarians in Europe like William Wilberforce and Granville Sharp, and the
missionaries who led the crusade against slave trade advocated for colonization of Africa
in order to stop it and introduce Legitimate Trade. When slave trade was abolished, many
 European nations used it as an excuse to remain in some parts of Africa, control the
region, enforce the anti-slavery treaties, and promote legitimate trade.
 The pull factors
o Existence of Vast natural resources in Africa. There were pockets of minerals in
various parts of Africa and ivory awaiting exploitation. This attracted the
Europeans.
o Well developed trade/trade routes in the interior. Imperialists used these routes as
transport routes to penetrate the interior.
 Existence of Navigable Rivers. For example, rivers like Congo and Niger made
transportation easy
 Existence of weak Decentralized local communities. Most African communities were
decentralized with no military structures therefore offering little resistance to European
invasion.
 Frequent wars / inter community wars. These wars weakened African communities and
were left ill prepared for any resistance. Some readily collaborated with the Europeans.
o THE PROCESS OF PARTITION
o The fore –runners to the process of partitioning Africa were the early explorers,
missionaries and traders. Their activities were succeeded by the making of treaties
and agreements in various parts of Africa between trading companies and the
locals.
o For example, the Buganda Agreement, the Heligoland Treaty and the Berlin act of
1884-1885. In places where the Europeans employed diplomacy, they won the
support of many Africans who collaborated with the intruders. The Europeans
sometimes blended diplomacy with wars of conquest or use of force especially
against the resisting communities. The partitioning boundaries were drawn along
physical features like rivers, mountains, etc.
The Berlin conference
o On 15th November 1884, Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, the USA, Portugal
and Italy convened in Berlin to lay down the rules for the partition and eliminate
conflicts amongst European nations. Africans, whose continent was being shared,
 were not represented in the conference The Berlin Conference of 1884-85,
partitioned Africa into different spheres of influence without recourse to war.
o Terms of the Berlin act of 1884-1885.
o That all signatories must declare their sphere of influence an area under each
nation’s occupation
o That once an area is declared a sphere of influence, effective occupation must be
established in the area through establishment of firm colonial infrastructures to be
followed by colonial administration.
o That any state, laying claim to any part of Africa must inform other interested
parties in order to avoid future rivalry.
o That any power acquiring territory in Africa must undertake to stamp out slave
trade in favour of legitimate trade and safeguard African interests.
o That if a European power claims a certain part of the African coast, the land in the
interior next to the coast became hers.
 That the Congo River and the Niger River basins were to be left free for any interested
power to navigate.
 The European powers vowed to protect and safeguard European interests in Africa
irrespective of their nationality.
o Impacts of the Partition

Political effects

o Introduction of European administration minimized intertribal wars and civil

strife.
o It led to development of strong African leadership and beginning of state
formation.
o Colonial government structures inherited by most independent African states have
continued to be models of governments in African countries.
o Rise of African nationalism to fight colonialism led to the development of African
political awareness.
o The Europeans gained fame, prestige and national glory by having colonial
possessions.
 o Negatively, it led to collapse of African traditional political systems and
leadership.
o Use of divide and rule promoted ethnic disunity that continues to trouble Africa
many years after independence.
 Boundary creation split apart many African communities. For example, the Somali are
found both in Kenya and in Somalia, the Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania and the Ewe in
Ghana and Togo.
 In some cases some communities whose cultures were incompatible found themselves
bunched together.

Social impacts

o Through the protection offered to missionaries, it stimulated the spread of

Christianity to various parts of Africa.
o It led to development of urban centres. Some towns grew as centres of
administration e.g. Nairobi and Machakos. Others grew as railway terminus e.g.
Kisumu.
o African welfare was boosted. Some African benefited from western education
and health facilities introduced by the Europeans. d) European languages were
introduced in Africa.
o Negatively, it created landlessness as European settlers appropriated African land.
o The Africans adopted some negative aspects of western culture.
o Many Africans lost their lives through resistance.
o Economic effects
o There was construction of roads, railway and other forms of infrastructure, which
helped to open up the interior.
o Imperialization helped to widen market for African produce especially with the
establishment of local industries.
o Africans were exposed to European manufactured goods/ increase in essential
commodities.
o Partition speeded up the economic growth of European nations.
 o Negatively, forced labour and exploitation of African resources left many parts of
Africa impoverished and underdeveloped.
 Africans were exposed to heavy taxation and denial to participate in economic activities
like farming, trade etc.