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The partition of Africa (Nay)
The Partition of Africa, also known as the Scramble for Africa, refers to the division
and colonization of the African continent by European powers between 1880 and
1914. This process was driven by European political, economic, and strategic interests,
leading to the establishment of numerous European colonies across the continent.
📍Motivations and Key Events:
⚔️European Rivalries:
Competition between European nations, particularly Great Britain, France, Germany,
and others, fuelled the desire to expand their empires in Africa.
💰Economic Interests:
Africa's vast resources, including minerals, agricultural products, and raw materials,
were attractive to European powers seeking to fuel their industrial economies.
🌐The Berlin Conference (1884-1885):
This conference formalized the partition of Africa, establishing rules for the acquisition
and control of territories by European powers, effectively dividing the continent among
them.
🗺️"Scramble" for Territories:
The rapid and competitive nature of the partition process led to a period of intense
territorial acquisition, often described as the "scramble for Africa".
⚡Impact on Africa:
Loss of Sovereignty
Economic Exploitation
Social and Cultural Disruption
Artificial Boundaries
Origins
The origins of the Scramble for Africa can be traced to 19th-century expeditions into
the interior of the continent undertaken by European explorers, two of the most famous
being David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley.
These expeditions led to the dissemination of information about the physical
geography of the continent, the vast natural resources that remained unexploited by
the local populations, and the strategic technological superiority held by industrialized
European countries over African polities.
The scramble begins: Berlin conference
Firstly, the expeditions led by Henry Morton Stanley, a British journalist and explorer,
culminated in his exploration of the Congo River and subsequent collaboration with
King Leopold of Belgium, resulting in the establishment of the Congo Free State.
Representatives from 14 countries from Europe and beyond attended the conference,
though only half of them—Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Portugal, Italy,
and Spain—already had, or would go on to have, recognized colonial holdings in
Africa. The conference resolved the immediate issue of Leopold’s claim by
recognizing the Congo Free State as being under his control, though he was
required to agree to free trade along rivers in his territory.
Secondly, French expansion from their bases in Senegal towards the Niger River,
alongside German annexation of Southwest Africa, intensified territorial ambitions
and competition among European powers.
Additionally, British diplomacy, spearheaded by figures like Sir George Taubman
Goldie and Cecil Rhodes, played a crucial role in acquiring territories. Goldie's
efforts, particularly through the Royal Niger Company (1886), led to the
consolidation of British influence in Nigeria by making treaties with local chiefs and
navigating negotiations with the French.
Whereas in East Africa sir William Mackinnon and Sir John Kirk employed Stanley
and Johnson to make treaties with the chiefs on the mainland. The British East Africa
Company 1888, obtained for Britain what is now Kenya and Uganda.
Expansion in South Africa was the work of Cecil Rhodes, he went to south Africa in
1870 just as diamonds were discovered so he made a great fortune in diamonds and
gold. Then he became Prime Minister of Cape Colony in 1890.
A year earlier he had obtained a charter for the British South Africa Company
which claimed for England territories known as Northern and Southern Rhodesia.
These result in international treaties. In 1890 three important treaties concluded
with Germany, France and Portugal delineated African boundaries and went far
toward easing tension among the great powers.
British intervention in 1882 in Egypt aimed to restore order amid perceived instability
under a new regime. While Egypt did not become a formal colony, British
oversight extended deeply into its administration, with British officials exerting
control over governance, education, finance, and other key aspects of public life.
Motivations
Perhaps the factor most commonly identified as truly motivating the Scramble for Africa
is the monetary profits from colonization. This did play an important role, and in cases
such as Leopold’s, it was the main reason for colonization. European industrial
countries also wanted to gain access to natural resources —Colonial expansion was
also presented as a form of market expansion, in which conquered countries acted as
captive markets for exports from the imperial center.
Effects and legacy
The Scramble for Africa led to numerous treaties and conflicts that influenced global
politics, such as the:
Fashoda incident (1898)
Moroccan crises (1905–06, 1911)
Boer Wars (the wars between the British and the Boers in Southern Africa)
These events heightened tensions between European powers and contributed to the
alliances and hostilities that shaped World War I. Britain's victory in the South African
War solidified its control over southern Africa.
For Africans, the consequences were devastating. Millions died under brutal colonial
regimes like in Leopold’s Congo Free State and during the Herero and Nama genocide
by Germany. Colonial borders disrupted national stability, and Indigenous cultures and
systems were largely replaced. The linguistic, political, and economic legacies of
colonization persist today, showing that the Scramble’s effects are still deeply
felt across Africa.
The Boer War
In 1871 the British took over the diamond fields on the grounds that such large
numbers of people needed controlling. In 1877 they took control of the Transvaal, too.
This created a new problem because British had to support the Boers against the
Zulus in their struggle for land. A bitter war followed but the British won.
The Zulu Kingdom was carved up into areas, each ruled by a Zulu chief. It was added
to the british empire. The Boers didn’t trust the British at all
The situation get worse when gold was discover at Witwatersrand in the heart of
the Transvaal. British prospectors flooded into the area and a town called
Johannesburg grew up.
In 1899, war broke out between the British and the Boers. It took 3 years before
they forced the Boers to surrender. In the meantime, British soldiers burned Boer
farms. They also moved Boer women and children into concentration camps to stop
them helping the enemy.
Conditions in the camp were so bad that 26.000 women and children died. They told
stories how the British had put powdered glass into the porridge to kill their families.
The British won the war. In 1902 they signed the Treaty of Vereeniging with the
Boers.
The Orange Free state and the Transvaal came under British rule.
In return, the British paid the Boers 3 million and promised them they would be allowed
to govern themselves. So, in 1909 Britain created the dominion of South Africa.
(this dominion was a member of the British empire) which was mostly independent.
This new dominion included 4 colonies- Transvaal and the Orange free state
controlled by the Boers and Natal and Cape colony controlled by the British.
