Answer:
Explanation:
Africa has long since been encountered by the presence of Europeans and their activities on the continent. Before the nineteenth century, European activities in Africa were restricted along the coast. Trade in slaves and other commodities with the interior states of Africa was conducted through local middlemen. Upon the abolition of the slave trade, legitimate trade was seen as the perfect substitute and the Europeans there scrambled and partitioned Africa for political, social and economic reasons. This also had economic, political and social consequences on the continent. This essay is a re-contextualization of the essence of the partition of Africa and it’s ramification on the continent. It will first deal with the factors that motivated the scramble for territories in Africa by the Europeans and later look at the effects on the continent.
The scramble for territories in Africa and the partition of the continent among the various European powers of late nineteenth century was triggered off mainly by the activities of one individual: King Leopold II of Belgium in the Congo Basin. King Leopold hired explorers led by Henry Morton Stanley to explore and navigate the Congo and arrange trade with the local leaders of the area. Publicly, King Leopold of a civilizing mission to carry the light “for millions of men still plunged in barbarism will be dawn of a better era”. Privately, Leopold had the idea of exploitation and profit making at the expense of the Africans. Other European countries such as Britain, France and Portugal became alarmed and as conflict over the Congo Basin seemed eminent, Otto Von Bismarck, the then German chancellor who was a pacifist called for conference in Berlin to discuss issue regarding the annexation of territories in Africa and other issues such as the slave trade in December 1884-1885(January). This conference is famously known as the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885. The causes for the scramble and partition of Africa as discussed below.
CAUSES OF THE PARTITION OF AFRICA
Economically, it was the time whereby the industrial revolution in Europe, particularly England had reached its peak. The Europeans therefore wanted a place to serve as a market for their manufactured goods. This would help boost the economy of the European nations and the surplus goods also would have a ready market in Africa. The Europeans therefore saw the need to acquire territories outside Europe to serve as a market for their surplus goods and Africa was their answer since it was a newly found continent by the Europeans. In the Gold Coast for example, the Europeans supplied manufactured products such as gin, tobacco, hardware, gun, gun powder, iron, glassware, European blankets and cotton and silk products. These goods found a ready market since they were new and comfortable for the large African population. The British with Gold Coast as their occupied territory benefitted from this trade as they also obtained products such as gold, ivory, animal skin etc. This new economic enterprise therefore boosted the economy of Britain and they were therefore ready to do whatever is possible to prevent any other European country from benefiting from this trade in the Gold Coast.
Again the European territories in Africa served as a place where raw materials could be easily obtained at relatively low prices to feed European manufacturing industries. Raw materials that were in abundance and obtained by the Europeans in the Gold Coast are gold, ivory, timber, cotton etc. These products which were in great demand in Europe were converted into finished goods and were sold to both Europeans and Africans. This helped in the accumulation of more capital to establish other industries in Europe. So to the Europeans, Africa was very valuable at that time and no European country would allow another European country to establish trade links in the “occupied” territories for trade.