British Expansion In Africa 1857-90 Flashcards
1
Q
Trading reasons for British expansion in Africa?
A
- Trading gold and ivory in Africa since 1500s
- Put 3 mill slaves in American colonies in 1700s
- Trade key reason, and the prospect of trading with resources discovered using new routes inland.
- Britain stayed in Africa after they found these materials for different reasons as well.
- Coal, iron and timber sought after to meet industrial demands
- as industry grew in Britain so did the demand for a market to sell their products, Britain create dependency cycle in Africa where they take African resources to make goods and sell the goods back to Africa.
2
Q
Personal Influence Reasons for expansion:
A
- Cecil Rhodes and George goldie gain fame and fortune from new African commodities, wanting further expansion for further personal gain.
- explorers and adventures captured public attention, making them want to expand in Africa to get themselves more publicity.
3
Q
Strategical expansion reasons:
A
- some strategical factors to protect economic interests: forts built in the Gold Coast to protect British coastal interest there.
- some purely strategical: cape colony had strategically advantageous southerly position and it protected routes to the east, giving Britain power over the routes.
4
Q
Moral reasons for expansion
A
Missionaries saw it as their duty to spread Christianity to those who weren’t aware of it. David Livingstone, 1888 “open path for commerce and Christianity”
5
Q
Extent of expansion by 1890?
A
- first half of 19th c., v. limited only west African settlements, inland networks, like the Niger River, and the cape colony
- 12 more territories between 57 and 90
- Britain more reactive to other powers than seeking out power for their own sake.
- sought to control British trading areas, companies like royal niger company receiving charters to make sure no other Europeans get involved with lucrative trading bases.
- only direct intervention was in Egypt, although Britain claimed this was as a defence.
