Scramble for Africa Worksheets
Do you want to save dozens of hours in time? Get your evenings and weekends back? Be able to teach about the Scramble for Africa to your students?
Our worksheet bundle includes a fact file and printable worksheets and student activities. Perfect for both the classroom and homeschooling!
Resource Examples
Click any of the example images below to view a larger version.
Fact File
Student Activities
Table of Contents
Add a header to begin generating the table of contents
Summary
- Background
- Cause of the Scramble for Africa
- Rush Into Africa
- Aftermath
Key Facts And Information
Let’s know more about the Scramble for Africa!
The Scramble for Africa is a term that denotes the period between approximately 1884 and 1914, during which European colonists divided the mainly unexplored African continent into ‘free-trade areas’, protectorates and colonies. The colonisers’ primary objective was to prevent conflict among themselves over African soil, as they had limited knowledge of local conditions at the time. The border design, which survived the surge of independence in the 1960s, had significant long-lasting economic and political consequences, as no one could have anticipated the brief colonial era.
Map showing the African territories occupied by European nations
BACKGROUND
- The international developments, as well as fears of military escalations in Europe, resulted in the two conferences that dictated Europeans’ ‘spheres of influence’ and control over African territory: the Brussels Geographic Conference of 1876 and the Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885. The Scramble for Africa began in the 1880s.
Brussels Geographic Conference of 1876
- This conference of explorers and leaders from geographical societies across Europe was hosted by King Leopold II of Belgium, and was motivated by the desire to protect the king’s interests in the Congo. European governments were suspicious of the king’s intentions, thus cooperation promoted by the conference continued to be limited.
- The conference concluded that:
- European intervention was necessary in Central Africa since Africans were incapable of developing the natural resources there.
- The routes to Africa’s great lakes needed to be developed with the construction of roads and railways.
- An International African Association should be formed to coordinate Europeans’ efforts.
- The conference also heightened competition between the Europeans as it became clear that Leopold II intended to build his own Congo empire. To advise in the Congo region, Henry Morton Stanley from Britain’s Royal Geographical Society was hired by the International African Association, renamed to International Association of the Congo, in 1879. Stanley signed over 450 treaties with the local chiefs that paved the way for Leopold II’s sovereignty over the territories, which came to be known as the Congo Free State. The French and the German governments also hired explorers to represent their claims in the region. As a result, France extended its control from Senegal into Western Sudan in 1879 whilst Germany took the German South-West Africa in 1884. Portugal also declared its claim to control the mouth of the Congo River in 1884.
- The Congo Free State was established in February 1885 by violently seizing the African territory as his personal possession. Instead of controlling the Congo as a colony like what had been done by other European powers throughout Africa, Leopold II privately owned the region.
- His reign over the region became infamous for its brutality.
Berlin Conference, 1884–5
- This conference is often considered the beginnings of the partition of Africa. It was hosted by the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and was attended by European states as well as the United States of America. France, Germany, Britain and Portugal were the major players owing to their considerable influence over Africa at the time. The conference aimed to secure agreement that both the basins and the mouths of the Congo and Niger rivers were to remain neutral and open to trade.
- The conference concluded with the signing of a General Act that stipulated that:
- All nations should be allowed to trade in the basin of the Congo and its outlets.
- Free trade should be guaranteed in the regions.
- The powers with influence in the area:
- should help protect the Indigenous peoples and suppress slave trade;
- should support and protect religious, scientific or charitable undertakings, Christian missionaries, scientists and explorers.
- The signatories of the Act should be notified if any power took possessions of further land on the coasts of Africa, in order to enable them to assert their own claim.
- The General Act further provoked a scramble for territory across Africa. By 1900, 90% of the continent was under European control. Whilst the Berlin Conference and the subsequent General Act were a success in terms of European relations since European countries were able to expand their empires without war, the lack of African representation at the conference did little to help the Indigenous populations. Natural borders, or ethnic, linguistic or religious division, and the well-being and religious customs of the locals were overlooked. This posed serious postcolonial ramifications in the continent.
Cartoon depicting Leopold II and other European nations during the Berlin Conference
CAUSES OF THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA
- Numerous factors contributed to the Scramble for Africa, the majority of which were associated with events in Europe rather than Africa. Surplus capital was frequently more profitably allocated to foreign markets, where the availability of raw materials, limited competition and low-cost materials enabled a higher premium to be charged. Another incentive for imperialism was the demand for natural materials, notably ivory, rubber, palm oil, cocoa, diamonds, tea and tin. Furthermore, Britain sought to establish control over regions along the southern and eastern coastlines of Africa in order to establish stopover ports on the route to Asia and its empire in India.
- End of the trade of enslaved people
- Britain had achieved some success in halting the trafficking of enslaved people along the African coasts. However, the situation was quite different in the interior.
- Many local chiefs were hesitant to abandon the use of subjugated individuals, and Muslim traders from the East Coast and north of the Sahara continued to trade inland. Various explorers, including David Livingstone, carried back reports of trips and markets involving enslaved people to Europe. Nineteenth-century Black activists in Britain and Europe were advocating for additional action.
- Exploration
- In the 19th century, there was scarcely a year that passed without a European expedition to Africa. The African Association was established in 1788 by affluent Englishmen who desired to discover the fabled city of Timbuktu and map the course of the Niger River.
- This event significantly contributed to the exploration surge. The objective of the European explorer evolved as the 19th century progressed. Rather than travelling out of pure curiosity, they began to document the specifics of markets, products and resources for the affluent philanthropists who funded their expeditions.
- Henry Morton Stanley
- The explorer most closely associated with the inception of the Scramble for Africa was this naturalised American who was born in Wales. Stanley had traversed the continent and located the missing Livingstone. However, his explorations on behalf of King Leopold II of Belgium are more notoriously remembered.
- Leopold employed Stanley to negotiate treaties with local chieftains along the River Congo in order to establish his colony.
- Capitalism
- The cessation of European trade in subjugated individuals resulted in a requirement for commerce between Europe and Africa. Despite the fact that capitalists may have recognised the error of enslavement, they continued to desire to exploit the continent. New ‘legitimate’ trade would be promoted.
- Explorers identified population centres that could serve as markets for manufactured goods from Europe, plotted the course of trade routes, navigated rivers, and located enormous reserves of raw materials. The region’s labour was employed to produce rubber, coffee, sugar, palm oil and timber for Europe during a period of plantations and cash crops. In addition, the advantages were more appealing if a colony could be established, which would grant the European nation a monopoly.
- Steam engines and iron-hulled boats
- The inaugural British ocean-going iron warship, the Nemesis, arrived in Macao, south China, in 1840. It fundamentally altered the nature of international relations between Europe and the rest of the world. The Nemesis was equipped with two robust steam engines, a hull made of iron, and a modest draft of five feet. It was capable of traversing non-tidal river portions, which enabled it to access the interior.
- Additionally, it was equipped with a substantial arsenal. In 1858, Livingstone used a steamer to traverse the Zambezi River and had the components transported to Lake Nyassa overland. Henry Morton Stanley and Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza were also able to investigate the Congo with the assistance of steamers.
- Politics
- There was no more space in Europe for expansion after the establishment of a unified Germany (1871) and Italy (a longer process, but its capital was relocated to Rome in 1871). Britain, France and Germany were engaged in a complex political manoeuvring to preserve their dominance, and an overseas empire would guarantee it.
- In an effort to expand its territory, France, which had suffered the loss of two provinces to Germany in 1870, turned to Africa. Britain pursued territory in gold-rich southern Africa and the control of the Suez Canal, as well as Egypt. Germany, under the expert guidance of Chancellor Bismarck, had been late to the concept of overseas colonies but was now thoroughly convinced of their value. A mechanism was all that was required to prevent overt conflict regarding the imminent land seizure.
- Military Innovation
- At the outset of the 19th century, Europe was only marginally ahead of Africa in terms of the number of weapons available. This was due to the fact that local chiefs had been supplied with weapons by merchants for an extended period, and many held stockpiles of gunpowder and firearms. However, Europe gained a substantial advantage as a result of two innovations.
- Percussion closures were being integrated into cartridges in the late 1860s. What was previously a discrete bullet, powder and wadding was now a unified entity that was relatively waterproof and easy to transport. The breech-loading rifle was the second innovation. The majority of Africans possessed front-loading muskets that were sluggish to operate (a maximum of three rounds per minute) and required standing to be loaded.
RUSH INTO AFRICA
- Liberia, a colony governed by former enslaved African-Americans, and Ethiopia were the only countries in Africa that remained uncontrolled by European powers within a mere 20 years. A rapid rise in the number of European nations claiming territory in Africa was observed at the beginning of the 1880s:
- In 1880, the region to the north of the Congo River was designated as a French protectorate as a result of a treaty between the King of the Bateke, Makoko, and the explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza.
- The Transvaal regained its independence, and Tunisia became a French protectorate in 1881.
- In 1882, Britain occupied Egypt (France withdrew from the joint administration), and Italy initiated the colonisation of Eritrea.
- In 1884, British and French Somaliland were created.
- In 1884, German South West Africa, Cameroon, German East Africa and Togo were created, and Spain claimed Río de Oro.
- Whilst trade and territorial expansion were the common factors that pushed the European countries to assert their claims in Africa, British annexation and occupation of Africa in the 1880s were driven by the following:
- Britain wanted to maintain its lines of communication with India. Hence, control over Egypt and South Africa was upheld.
- Imperialists like Cecil Rhodes encouraged the acquisition of further territory in Africa with the intention of developing a Cape-to-Cairo railway.
- Britain was interested in the commercial potential of mineral-rich territories like the Transvaal. The Transvaal was established largely by Dutch/Afrikaans-speaking settlers known as the Boers in 1852, and Britain first conquered it in 1877. The First Anglo-Boer War of 1880–1881 ended in Boer victory. However, the Transvaal remained under British influence. The discovery of gold in 1886 intensified British interest in the territory.
- Whilst British claims in Africa were second in size only to France, they included heavily populated areas with abundant natural resources.
AFTERMATH
- By the conclusion of the 19th century, Europe had expanded its overseas colonial possessions to nearly 9,000,000 square miles (23,000,000 km2) during the New Imperialism period, which accounted for one-fifth of the Earth’s landmass. The entire African continent, with the exception of Ethiopia, Liberia and Saguia el-Hamra, was officially held by Europe. The latter was subsequently incorporated into the Spanish Sahara.
- The economic expansion was followed by political imperialism, as the colonial lobbies bolstered chauvinism and jingoism during each crisis to legitimise the colonial enterprise. The imperial powers’ tensions led to a series of crises that culminated in August 1914, when the domino effect of previous rivalries and alliances drove the leading European nations into the First World War.
- The emergence of an Afro-neoliberal capitalist movement in postcolonial Africa coincided with the connection between the old and new Scramble for Africa, as proposed by anti-neoliberal scholars. The postcolonial economic structures of African nations remained undiversified and linear as they began to achieve independence following the Second World War.
- For the most part, the economy of a nation was predicated on cash commodities or natural resources. These scholars assert that the decolonisation process maintained independent African nations at the mercy of colonial powers through structurally dependent economic relations.
- They also assert that structural adjustment programmes resulted in the privatisation and liberalisation of numerous African political and economic systems, thereby compelling Africa to enter the global capitalist market. They further assert that these factors facilitated the development of Western ideological systems of economics and politics.
Image Sources
Frequently Asked Questions About The Scramble for Africa
- What was the Scramble for Africa?
The Scramble for Africa was the period during the late 19th century (roughly 1881–1914) when European powers colonised, divided, and occupied large parts of Africa.
- Which countries were involved in the Scramble for Africa?
Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Spain were the major European countries involved.
- What was the Berlin Conference, and how did it relate to the Scramble for Africa?
The Berlin Conference (1884–1885) was a meeting of 14 European nations and the United States, organised by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The goal was establishing rules for colonising Africa to avoid conflicts among European powers. The conference formalised the partition of Africa and laid the groundwork for European dominance without considering the rights or interests of African people.