Scramble for Africa Essay Flashcards
What does Richard Evans attribute the start of the scramble of Africa to in his Gresham college lecture?
Evans claims that ‘the key factor was the foreign policy of Bismarck’ - his policy of declaring interests as bargaining tools
What were the effects of Bismarck’s decision to annex territories in 1884-1885?
- It demonstrated that annexation could be done very cheaply - barely any German troops were deployed.
- It pressured other states to annex their areas of influence in order to forestall rivals.
When was the Berlin conference?
November 1884
What were the main impacts of the Berlin conference?
It set out guidelines for annexation of territory and ‘effectively declared that the scramble had begun’.
Give an example for economic arguments.
Rhodesia was secured via the Rudd concession in 1888, as it was hope that the land may contain valuable mineral deposits.
Give some statistics against economic arguments.
In 1909, Britain imported £241.6 million worth of goods from Europe and only imported £12.3 million from sub-Saharan Africa.
Give an example for imperialism motivated by public sentiment
In 1889, Britain made Nyasaland into a protectorate in response to public concerns about Portuguese interference with British missionaries.
(However, there was an element of rivalry as well)
Why does Richard Evans argue against the desire to manipulate public opinion being a key cause of imperialism?
He argues that the dates are wrong - ‘jingoism’ peaked during Boer war whilst main increase in expansion of empire occurred in 1880s and 90s
Give two examples of British expansion of empire as a result of competition.
Sudan - British take over in 1898 to forestall French and protect Egypt/Suez.
Bechuanaland - taken over in 1885 to prevent Germany gaining it and prevent Boer alliance with germany
Give two examples of British expansion due to strategic reasons.
Britain made Egypt a protectorate in 1882, to defend the route to India. (However, also to protect British bondholders)
British control over Zanzibar was formalised in 1896 for similar reasons.
Give two examples of British expansion being caused by strategic rivalry
Sudan - British take over in 1898 to forestall French and protect Egypt/Suez.
Bechuanaland - taken over in 1885 to prevent Germany gaining it and prevent Boer alliance with Germany
Give a quotation illustrating that religion was not the driving force between expansion of empire.
‘Religion and empire frequently mingled, but were as likely to undermine each other as they were to provide mutual support.’
