Berlin Conference 1885 Worksheets
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Summary
- Historical Background
- Berlin Conference
- Impact of the Berlin Conference
Key Facts And Information
Let’s know more about the Berlin Conference 1885!
The Berlin Conference was a series of negotiations that took place between 15 November 1884 and 26 February 1885 at Berlin, Germany. At the request of Portugal, with the assistance of German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, the major European nations met to negotiate issues and resolve ambiguities regarding the control of Africa. Bismarck valued the chance to extend Germany’s influence in Africa and aimed to compel Germany’s adversaries to compete for land. The conference concluded with the signing of a General Act regulating European colonisation and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period.
The Berlin Conference, as illustrated in a German newspaper
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
- Prior to the year 1884, Europeans had already invaded parts of Africa by establishing a connection to local trade networks. The high demand for ivory led the Europeans to penetrate the local African market. In 1876, King Leopold II of Belgium, who had established the International African Association the same year, invited Henry Morton Stanley, a Welsh-American explorer and journalist, to join him in exploring the continent. The International African Association was a front organisation used by King Leopold II to further his humanitarian projects in Central Africa.
- In 1878, the International Congo Society was established, mostly with economic objectives, albeit still intimately associated with the preceding organisation. King Leopold II covertly convinced the foreign investors of the Congo Society, which was repurposed for imperialistic objectives, with the African Society functioning primarily as a benevolent facade.
- Between 1878 and 1885, Stanley returned to the Congo not as a journalist but as an agent of Leopold, tasked with the covert mission to establish what would later be recognised as the Congo Free State shortly following the conclusion of the Berlin Conference in August 1885.
- French operatives uncovered Leopold’s schemes, prompting France to dispatch its explorers to Africa. In 1881, Pierre de Brazza, a French naval officer, was sent to central Africa, journeyed into the western Congo basin, and hoisted the French flag above the newly established Brazzaville in the present-day Republic of Congo.
- Ultimately, Portugal, which had relinquished mainly its colonial power in the region, primarily maintained through the largely inactive proxy Kingdom of Kongo, also asserted its claim to the area, citing antiquated contracts with Restoration-era Spain and the Catholic Church.
- On 26 February 1884, Portugal swiftly established a pact with its longstanding ally, Great Britain, to obstruct the Congo Society’s access to the Atlantic.
- The struggle for dominance in the Congo region was merely one of numerous conflicts occurring in the 1880s as Europeans focused their endeavours on the brutal subjugation of African nations. They were soon approaching confrontations with one another.
- German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck perceived these possible conflicts as jeopardising his European ambitions. Consequently, he summoned European leaders to Berlin in 1884 to formulate a policy for their development in Africa.
Otto von Bismarck
BERLIN CONFERENCE
- With support from the British and on the initiative of Portugal, Otto von Bismarck called on representatives in Europe and the United States to participate in the Berlin Conference in 1884 to work out a joint policy on the African continent. The conference opened on 15 November 1884 and culminated on 26 February 1885. The number of diplomats varied per nation, but 14 countries involved in the conference sent representatives to attend the Berlin Conference.
- The countries represented then included Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway (unified from 1814 to 1905), Turkey and the United States of America. Of these 14 nations, France, Germany, Great Britain and Portugal were the major players in the Berlin Conference, controlling most of colonial Africa.
- Bismarck valued the chance to extend Germany’s influence in Africa and aimed to compel Germany’s adversaries to compete for land. During the Berlin Conference, 80% of Africa was still governed by traditional and local authorities. The outcome was a disordered array of geometric demarcations that partitioned Africa into 50 irregular nations.
- The primary objective of the Berlin Conference was to establish that the mouths and basins of the Congo River and Niger River would be deemed neutral and accessible for trade. Notwithstanding its neutrality, a portion of the Congo Basin was established as a personal dominion for King Leopold II. During his reign, more than 50% of the region’s populace perished.
- During that period, only the coastal regions of Africa were subjected to colonisation by European powers. During the Berlin Conference, European colonial powers competed to assert dominance over the continent’s interior.
- The conference ran for three months, during which colonial powers negotiated geometric borders inside the continent, neglecting the cultural and linguistic limits previously established by the Indigenous African populace.
- It culminated in an action that accomplished three objectives. The first was to acknowledge the region King Leopold asserted as his possession. The second was to acknowledge specific pre-existing territorial claims in some areas of Africa. The conference’s third and most significant outcome was establishing a mechanism for Europeans to assert claims and annexed territories in Africa.
- The last outcome comprised three steps. Initially, European nations would send explorers. These explorers would enter into treaties with local authorities who would consent to the ‘protection’ of the European state. Subsequently, the explorers would return to Europe to present the treaty to their respective governments.
- Lastly, each European nation’s government would negotiate with other European governments to secure their acknowledgement that this ‘protection’ effectively conferred ownership of the land.
- The principle of effective occupation asserted that power could obtain rights over colonial territories solely if it exercised possession or effective occupation, which included having treaties with local leaders, displaying its flag, and instituting an administration to govern the area with a police force to maintain order. The colonial authority could also exploit the colony for economic gain.
- The principle of effective occupation was fiercely debated between Germany and France at the Berlin Conference. As newcomers to the continent, the Germans contended that, regarding the expansion of power in Africa, no colonial authority should possess any legal claim to a territory unless it exerted solid and effective political control, and even then, only for a finite duration, essentially as an occupying force.
- From the divergent perspectives of Germany and Britain, the powers ultimately concurred that a European nation might build a base along the shore, from which it would be permitted to grow into the interior. The Europeans did not perceive that the principles of occupation necessitated European dominance on the ground. The approach and others established at the conference enabled Europeans to conquer Africa while minimising their administrative and control efforts. The principle was not significantly applicable to the hinterlands of Africa throughout the conference period.
IMPACT OF THE BERLIN CONFERENCE
- The Berlin Conference offered a platform to redirect dormant European animosities externally, provide new avenues for European powers to expand amidst increasing American, Russian and Japanese interests, and foster constructive discourse to mitigate future conflicts. Colonialism was implemented throughout practically the entire African continent. Following the Second World War, African independence was achieved through the emergence of fragmented states.
- After the Berlin Conference, the exchange of territories persisted. By 1914, the conference attendees had completely partitioned Africa into 50 nations.
- Significant colonial holdings included:
- Great Britain aspired to establish a Cape-to-Cairo expanse of colonies. It nearly achieved this through its dominion over Egypt, Sudan (Anglo-Egyptian Sudan), Uganda, Kenya (British East Africa), South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and Botswana. The British governed Nigeria and Ghana (formerly known as the Gold Coast).
- France acquired extensive territories in western Africa, from Mauritania to Chad (French West Africa), Gabon and the Republic of Congo (French Equatorial Africa).
- Belgium and King Leopold II governed the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Belgian Congo).
- Portugal acquired Mozambique in the east and Angola in the west.
- Italy possessed Somalia (Italian Somaliland) and a segment of Ethiopia.
- Germany acquired Namibia (formerly German Southwest Africa) and Tanzania (formerly German East Africa).
- Spain acquired the smallest territory, namely Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni).
Frequently Asked Questions About The Berlin Conference 1885
- What was the Berlin Conference?
The Berlin Conference, held between November 1884 and February 1885, was a meeting where European powers discussed and formalised the rules for colonising Africa.
- Who organised the Berlin Conference?
Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor of Germany, organised the conference to mediate and facilitate discussions among European powers.
- What were the main outcomes of the Berlin Conference?
The continent was divided among European powers, with clear boundaries for their spheres of influence. It also recognised King Leopold II's control over the Congo Free State. Free navigation on the Congo River and Niger River was included. In theory, it prohibited the slave trade, although exploitation continued under colonial rule.