'Scramble for Africa ' - Conferences Flashcards
who hosted the Brussels Conference ( 1876 ) ?
In 1876, King Leopold II of Belgium hosted s conference of explorers and leaders from geographical societies across Europe.
What was the Brussels Conference motivated by ?
It was motivated largely by the desire to protect the King’s personal interests and holdings in the Congo
What did the Brussels Conference conclude ?
Africans were incapable of developing the natural resources to be found in central Africa therefore European intervention was therefore necessary.
The routes to Africa’s Great Lakes needed to be developed by building roads or railways.
An International African Association should be established to coordinate the European efforts
What did the Brussels Conference create ?
The cooperation in Brussels actually heightened competition as European governments were suspicious of Leopold’s intentions.
Evidence that European countries were suspicious of Leopold ?
The International African Association hired Henry Morton Stanley to advice in the Congo region but it soon became that Leopold was intent on establishing his own Congo Empire.
French hired an Italian born explorer - Pierre de Braze to stake their own claims to th region.
Why was the Berlin Conference held ?
By 1884, the Scramble for Africa had thus already begun the need for some regulation of European expansion became apparent to prevent military escalation ?
Who held the Berlin Conference and who was involved ?
German Chancellor, Otto von Bismark, who hosted the conference.It was attended by the foreign ministers of 14 European states as well as the USA.
What did the Berlin Conference conclude which is known as the General Act ?
All nations should be permitted to trade in the basin of the Congo and its outlets.
There should be free trade in these regions.
The powers with Influence in these areas should help protect indigenous people and suppress the slave trade.
The powers should support and protect religious, scientific or charitable undertakings , Christian missionaries, scientists and explorers.
If any power took possession of further land on the coasts of Africa it should notify the signatories of the Act, in order to enable them to assert any claims of their own.
What were the successes about the General Act / what did it achieve ?
Conference was a success in terms of European relations, enabling European countries to expand their empire in an apparently ordered fashion and without the risk of conflict with one another.
Africa acted as a safely - value for Europe .Competing countries, thanks to its size were unlikely to tread on each others toes in pursuit of land or prestige.
What were the failings of the empire ? what did it not achieve ?
The General Act did little for the indigenous people.There was no African representation at the conference and European ministers mapped out spheres of influence with little concern for natural borders or ethnic, linguistic or religious divisions, with serious postcolonial ramification.
Also despite good apparent intentions there was no effort in the following years in terms of combating the African and Arab slave trade nor much attention to African concerns.
