Expansion into Africa 1857-1890 Flashcards
reasons for expansion into Africa - economic considerations
large supply of resources not available in Britain e.g. Palm Oil
finding of diamonds in Kimberly in 1867 created diamond rush
discovery of gold brought Cecil Rhodes who desired wealth, established Rhodes Training Co. which owned 90% of worlds diamond production, appointed to settle boundaries e.g. Griqualand
gold in the Transvaal in 1866 led to influx of migrants after 30,000 cornish tin mines had closed - led to Cecil Rhodes British South Africa Company
George Goldie bought palm oil business in Niger basin in 1875 and joined with british businesses, won the war with the french and bought them out, establishing cocoa and coffee plantataions
Egypt - attraction of cotton important for growing textile industry at home and after American civil war needed new supply
expansion into Africa - stratergy
rivalries with other European powers became more apparent , Germany and France transformed armed forces, Russia threat due to trans-siberian highway and expansion into Afghanistan as getting closer to India - ‘jewel in british crown’
after brussels conference, slow expansion began but berlin conference where idea of effective occupation was established started the scramble
Britain originally dismissed idea of control of Egypt until builidng of the suez in 1869 reduced profit of trade in the cape, it also provided a quicker sea route to India by 30 days, britain bought shares for suez
1885 - Bechucaland annexed to prevent German and Boers combining, threatening Cape
reasons for expansion into Africa - individuals
‘men on the spot’- acted independently to extend their own influence
Sir Evelyn Barring - colonial administrator in Egypt, introduced Grandville doctrine (dismissed egyptian ministers who refused to accept british directives) secured international loan for egypt at the convention of london in 1885, making them reliant on britain as were virtually bankrupt
Livingstone - mapped East to West africa and Zambezi river, recieved government funding in 1858, wrote about travles which created awareness and inspired other explorers like Burton
Bartle Frere - colonial administrator in cape colony, chosen by Lord Carnarvon to establish confederation where british territory would merge with boers, deliberaley provoked war with Zulus and although initial victory in 1878, defeated and frere was withdrawn in 1879
role of David Livingstone
received government funding in 1858
official title of ‘Consul for the East Coast of Africa’
began an exploration of Zambezi river
sent 2000 letters back to Britian, thrilling the publics imagination
expansion into Africa - moral factors
strong belief in ‘manifest destiny’ and desire to’civilise the heathens’
In sudan, Charles Gordon sent to govern and westernise the area but met with backlash during Mahdist revolt of 1881
britain tried to annex Zululand to help westernise the area - proving social darwinist beliefs that all roles except the british were inferior
role of John Kirk
economic botanist for Livingstones Zambezi expedition
returned to Africa in 1868 as Vice-Consul in the sultanate of Zanzibar - of commercial interest to britain due to its ivory and clove exports and home to East Africas first steam railway
ensured that Zanzibar operated as a British client state
role of Richard Burton
wounded by a javelin when exploring Somaliland in 1855, undertook expedition of Zanzibar in 1857 but was forced by malaria to abandon this and his comapnion, Speke claimed that Lake Victoria was the source of the Nile
Burton disagreed with this and the two constantly debated their theories
burton spent his final years documenting his travels, produced 43 volumes
role of John Speke
joined Burton in quest to find source of the Nile in 1857
became the first two european men to reach Lake Tanganyika in Feb 1858
reached Lake Victoria in July 1858
on a second expedition in 1860, he mapped out Lake victoria and found the niles exit at what he called ripon falls
the scramble for africa
1850s - 10% under foreign control, by 1890s - 10% local control
brtiain became increasingly concerned by European powers
Germanys favourable location and supply of natural resources became threat
France had trasnformed its armed forces
naval building programmes of FRance and Russia gave other nations a means to explore areas
impact of the long depression also encouraged new interest in africa for new sources of raw materials
Brussels Conference 1876
King Leopold of Belgium held, motivated by desire to protect Congo
concluded that Africans were incapable of developing the natural resources and European intervention was thus necessary, routes to African Great Lakes needed to be developed
heightened competition in Europe
Leopold established his own Congo empire, France extended into Western Sudan and Germany into the mouth of the Congo River
Berlin Conference 1884-85
German Chancellor - van Bismarck
attended by foreign ministers of European states
initial task that both basins and mouths of Congo and Niger river remained neutral and open to trade
general act : free trade in these areas, and Europeans should help protect the indigenous
idea of ‘effective occupation’ a european power could establish its claim if it effectively occupies that area
impact of the scramble
did little for the indigenous populations with little concern for natural borders or ethnic, linguistic or religious divisions
no concerted effort to combat the African or Arab slave trade
by 1900, 90% was forced into European hands
reasons for expansion into Egypt
location - creation of Suez canal cut of 60,000 miles to india
international relations - declining Ottoman empire appealed as they forced them to do what benefits britain, made egypt easy to exploit
investment - interest developed in american civ war as mills were starved of cotton, egypt had good desireable supply, british companies began heavily investing and into the modernising programme set by the Khedive, Ismail Pasha
Ismail Pasha modernising programme
came to power in 1563
irrigation systems and railways
cutting of the Suez canal through Egypt to connect the Mediterranean to the Red Sea
The Suez Canal
idea originated from french de Lesseps, set up suez canal company in 1858 but outside france there was limited interest in the canal
britain were sceptical and thought the canal was unsuitable for larger ships
canal had immediate effect and reduced trade in cape drastically
egypt were suffering from bankruptcy and so Ismail Pasha sought a buyer for his countrys £4 million share in the canal and Disraeli stepped forward
gave british greater control and further interest in Egypt
