The Scramble For Africa Flashcards
0
Q
Which two African countries remained independent?
A
Liberia
Ethiopia
1
Q
Which 7 countries colonized the African continent?
A
Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium
2
Q
When did the Berlin conference take place?
A
1884
3
Q
Which 3 countries received the largest pieces of Africa?
A
Britain
France
Germany
4
Q
Which new technologies did Europe develop before colonization?
A
Navigation
Better ships
Better weapons
5
Q
When did Europe develop the new technologies that allowed them to colonize Africa?
A
The European Renaissance
6
Q
What is colonialism?
A
The occupation and control of nation by another
7
Q
In what year was the colonization of Africa completed?
A
1914
8
Q
On which continent did humans originate?
A
Africa
9
Q
Who controlled Africa before European colonization?
A
Africa was firmly under the control of Africans
10
Q
When did complete African rule of Africa end?
A
The late 19th century
11
Q
Which African kingdoms were rich and powerful before colonization?
A
Egypt Mapungubwe Great Zimbabwe Mali The Swahili
12
Q
How did ordinary African societies live?
A
Hunting
Gathering
Herding
Farming
13
Q
Which African nation had the biggest trade network that even extended across the Indian Ocean?
A
The Swahili
14
Q
What percentage of Africa was colonized?
A
98%
15
Q
Why are historical cartoons useful?
A
Their drawings show a particular point of view at a particular time in history
16
Q
During which decade were the European powers competing for control over Africa?
A
The 1870’s
17
Q
Who arranged the Berlin Conference?
A
Prime Minister Otto Von Bismarck
18
Q
What was the purpose of the Berlin Conference?
A
To divide Africa amongst the European countries without a war between European countries
19
Q
What is an empire?
A
A group of countries ruled by a single government
20
Q
What were the areas the Europeans took over called?
A
Colonies
21
Q
How many colonies were created in Africa during the Berlin Conference?
A
46
22
Q
Why is colonization considered a turning point in the history of Africa?
A
Because colonization brought such a drastic change that Africa would never be the same again and the effects would last for hundreds of years
23
Q
What were the reasons for European colonization of Africa?
A
Search for raw materials and profits
Growth of nationalism in Europe
Christian missionaries
The discovery of quinine
24
Define the term "cash crops"
Crops that are grown to be sold at a profit
25
Name 5 raw materials Europe wanted from Africa?
```
Ivory
Rubber
Diamonds
Gold
Cotton
Cocoa
Coffee
Vegetable oils
```
26
What types of goods did Europe produce and sell to the Africans?
```
Cloth
Clothing
Alcohol
Guns
Knives
Forks
```
27
Define the term "nationalism"
Competing to be the richest and most powerful nation and being proud of the achievements of the country you come from
28
How did European countries prove that they were richer and stronger than other countries?
By taking over more and more land in other parts of the world, they became richer and strengthened their power over one another
29
Why were Christian missionaries interested in Africa?
They wanted to spread their beliefs and European customs among African people
30
When did Christians first become missionaries?
During the 15th and 16th centuries
31
What was the purpose of quinine?
To protect Europeans against malaria
32
How effective was quinine?
It reduced European deaths from malaria by 80%
33
How do you get malaria?
Malaria is contracted when you are bitten by a malaria carrying mosquito
34
When was quinine discovered?
1850's
35
Why were European powers able to colonize Africa so quickly?
Rivalries between different African leaders
Natural disasters
The invention of the machine gun
New diseases
36
How did European powers take advantage of the rivalries between African leaders?
They persuaded some African leaders to side with them against other African leaders
37
Which natural disasters hit Africa in the 1890's?
A severe drought
A locust plague
Rinderpest
38
When did the drought take place?
1895
39
What was the result of the drought of 1895?
Hardly any crops were produced which led to a food shortage. This caused the death of many people and animals
40
How did the locust plague make things worse for Africans?
The locusts destroyed what little crops were left to the people
41
What is rinderpest?
A cattle plague
42
When did rinderpest break out in Africa?
The 1890's
43
Which animals were affected by rinderpest?
Cattle
Sheep
Goats
44
What percentage of the cattle in Africa died due to the rinderpest outbreak?
95%
45
How did natural disasters enable the Europeans to colonies Africa so quickly?
As a result of the natural disasters, African people were weak and unable to fight against the colonizing powers
46
What was the first machine gun called?
The Maxim gun
47
When was the Maxim gun invented?
1880's
48
What methods did European powers use to take control of land that belonged to other people?
Force
| Violence
49
Why didn't Africans just buy some Maxim guns for themselves?
The European countries had made an agreement with each other that they would not sell Maxim guns to Africans
50
How many bullets could the Maxim gun fire?
Eleven bullets per second
51
What was the result of denying Africans access to the Maxim gun?
This meant that Africans were at a military disadvantage against the colonizing countries
52
Which new disease did Europeans bring to Africa?
Smallpox
53
What is an epidemic?
A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease. Many people are infected at the same time
54
When did smallpox break out in Africa?
1890's
55
What is immunity?
Resistance to disease
56
Why were African weakened by smallpox?
This disease weakened the African population as they had not been exposed to it before. Many people became sick and died
57
What is a turning point?
A great change in the course of history
58
What is a legacy?
Lasting results or effects inherited from the past
59
What is an onslaught?
A sudden and severe onset of trouble
60
Provide 2 examples of the legacy of colonialism that we still experience today
Who owns the land
| Who works for whom
61
What were the results of colonization?
A turning point in African history
Loss of land
Artificial borders
62
Why did Europeans want African raw materials?
These raw materials were not available in Europe.
63
How did Europeans go about taking the raw materials from Africa and manage to benefit twice from the process?
1. They passed laws that forced Africans to work for low wages
2. Raw materials were shipped and railed to European factories
3. Here they were made into products
4. These products were then sold back to Africans
64
How many African countries were there in 2012
47
65
Where do today's borders in Africa come from?
We inherited them from the colonial era
66
Why do we have so much civil war and conflict in Africa today?
1. Because the Europeans drew the borders randomly and often separated people from the same tribe while forcing them to share land with a rival tribe.
2. This causes economic and political instability today and out borders often shift and change.
67
What is resistance?
The action of opposing something that you disapprove of or disagree with
68
What does Maji mean?
Maji means water in the KiSwahili language
69
Why was the colonization process often long, slow and cruel?
Because the African people resisted being colonized and fought back
70
Who was the Governor of German East Africa in 1902?
Karl Peters
71
What type of plantation did Karl Peters introduce to his colony?
Cotton plantations
72
Why was Karl Peters' decision to introduce cotton in the south east a bad idea?
The soil wasn't right for growing cotton and the project failed miserably
73
When did the Maji-Maji rebellion broke out?
1905
74
What is German East Africa known as today?
Tanzania
75
Why is the Maji-Maji rebellion significant?
Because it was the biggest rebellion against colonialism on the whole continent at the time
76
Which prophet caused the Maji-Maji rebellion?
Kinjikitile
77
What claim did Kinjikitile make to inspire the rebellion?
1. He claimed that he had discovered a spring of magic water.
2. He further claimed that bullets fired at anyone who had been sprinkled with this water would have no effect
78
How did Kinjikitile spread his message amongst the people?
He sent messengers carrying the water to people throughout the region
79
Where did the Maji-Maji rebellion start?
In Kinjikitile's village
80
What did the Germans do with Kinjikitile?
German troops captured and hanged Kinjikitile
81
Did killing Kinjikitile stop the Maji-Maji rebellion?
No, news had already spread to all the people
82
What actions did the indigenous people take against the Germans during the Maji-Maji rebellion?
1. They attacked and killed German missionaries
| 2. They burnt down trading post together with the people who ran them
83
How did Christian missionaries contribute to the colonization process?
1. Converting the local people to Christianity
| 2. They forced Africans to abandon their traditional customs and practices
84
What did Christians missionaries bring to Africa apart from Christianity?
```
European languages
The European alphabet
Writing
European style of dress
Buildings
Furniture
Music
Food
```
85
What did Christian missionaries teach the natives while converting them to Christianity?
They taught them that to be Christian, they had to take on the customs and culture of Europeans.
86
Why did the colonizers force their way of life onto the people they colonized?
In order to colonize effectively and take over properly
87
How did colonization create racism?
Colonization led Europeans to believe that they were superior to Africans because they did not follow European customs and they weren't Christians. As a result they forced Africans to do the heavy labour and placed Europeans in charge of Africans. Eventually Europeans began to associate dark skin with inferiority and light skin with superiority. They started treating everyone with dark skin as servants and thus racism was born
88
What is racism?
The attitude of judging someone by the color of their skin is called racism or racial prejudice
89
What is another term for racism?
Racial prejudice
90
What is another term for racial prejudice?
Racism
91
What did west Africans produce and trade before colonialism?
```
Millet
Sorghum
Wheat
Kola nuts
Livestock
Ivory
Ostrich feathers
Cloth
Gold
```
92
What did west Africans import from other places?
```
Salt
Copper, Brass, Silver, Tin, Lead
Tobacco
Dates
Textiles and clothes made from wool, Silk, Velvet, Satin
Books, Writing paper
Cowrie shells
Tea, Coffee, Sugar, Spices
Jewelry, Perfumes, Bracelets, Mirrors, Carpets, Glass beads
```
93
What portion of the world's gold have been produced by Africa?
Two thirds of all gold ever mined
94
During which centuries was West Africa the leading supplier of gold in the world?
Between the 11th and the 17th centuries
95
Which West African tribe was the richest and the most powerful before colonization?
The Ashanti
96
When was the Akan territory divided into dozens of kingdoms?
The 16th and 17th centuries
97
When did the Ashanti take control of most of the Akan kingdoms?
The early 18th century
98
Name two things the Ashanti controlled.
1. Many other kingdoms
2. Trade routes to the coast
3. Some of the riches gold mines in Africa
99
Why was west Africa called the Gold Coast?
Because the early European explorers and traders were so astonished by the richness of the gold in the area
100
Why does the Ashanti Queen Mother wear gold glasses?
They are not to protect her from the sun but rather to prevent her subjects from looking her in the eye.
101
Why were the people not allowed to look the Queen Mother in the eye?
Because she was a very important person in the Ashanti culture
102
What was the title of the king of the Ashanti?
Asantehene
103
What was the title of the Queen Mother of the Ashanti?
Asantewaa
104
What did Asantewaa symbolize to the Ashanti people?
She was a symbol of the wealth that lay in the region.
105
How did Asantewaa symbolize the wealth of the region?
She wore so much gold jewelry that she needed two people to carry her hands. She also wore gold glasses to show the Europeans that she was powerful and important to her people.
106
What did Asantewaa wear to prevent her subjects from looking her directly in the eye before they made golden glasses?
She wore a headpiece with beads to cover her eyes
107
Which Slave traders set up a base at Elmina?
The Portuguese
108
Where did they keep the slaves at Elmina?
They were kept in prisons called barracoons at Elmina Castle before they were shipped away
109
What is a barracoon?
A prison for slaves at Elmina Castle
110
Where did the Portuguese slave traders get their slaves from?
Africans were kidnapped by fellow Africans and marched to the coast where they would sell them to European slave traders
111
How many West Africans were taken to America as slaves?
About 12 million
112
Why were Africans willing to sell their own people into slavery?
All human beings are easily motivated by individual greed and promises of wealth regardless of their skin color
113
What did the Ashanti exchange their captured slaves for?
```
Horses
Guns
Cloth
Metal items
Copper and brass wear
Manufactured goods like bracelets, water jugs, shaving bowls, barber's basins, chamber pots, urinals and kettles
```
114
What is a myth?
Elaborate stories which explain things
115
What does legitimate mean?
In accordance with the law
116
What does the golden stool symbolize?
Ashanti unity and nationhood
117
What motivated the Ashanti during their resistance against colonialism?
The golden stool
118
When did the golden stool first appear?
1701
119
Who was king when the golden stool appeared?
Asantehene Osei Tutu
120
What did an Ashanti priest tell Asantehene Osei Tutu about the golden stool?
That the supreme god had told him to call an object from heaven that contained the spirit of the nation.
121
What is the myth of the golden stool?
A golden stool descended from the skies which contained the soul of the Ashanti people. No one could be a legitimate king without the golden stool
122
How was a new Ashanti king coronated?
A new king was lowered and raised over the golden stool without touching it.
123
How holy was the golden stool?
It was so holy that not even the king could sit on it. The stool was also not allowed to touch the ground but was placed on its own chair
124
Who made the Ashanti into a great nation?
Their king, Osei Tutu
125
Who was Anotchi?
An ordinary clansmen who lived in a neighboring kingdom. He was so experience in medicine and magic that when he fled to the Ashanti, he said that Nyame, the Supreme God, had sent him to make the Ashanti a great people
126
Who is Nyame?
The Supreme God of the Ashanti
127
How many wars did the British fight against the Ashanti?
Four
128
During which period did the British fight four wars against the Ashanti?
1824-1901
129
How many wars did the Ashanti win against the British?
They won three wars
130
What was the capital of Ashanti?
Kumasi
131
When did the British occupy Kumasi?
1896
132
Who was sent into exile by the British during the Ashanti wars?
King Prempeh I and several chiefs and elders
133
What happened to the golden stool when king Prempeh was sent into exile?
His followers hid the golden stool in a secret place to prevent it from falling into British hand
134
Who was appointed as the British governor in the Ashanti lands in 1898?
Major Hodgson
135
What did Major Hodgson demand from the Ashanti leaders in 1900?
He demanded that they hand over the golden stool so that he could sit on it and finally end the Ashanti resistance to British rule
136
How did the Ashanti leaders respond to Major Hodgson's demand that they hand over the golden stool to him?
They listened in silence then left and held a secret meeting with the remaining members of the Ashanti government at Kumasi to discuss how to organize for the return of their king. There was disagreement among those present on how to go about this but in the end they chose rebellion
137
Who persuaded the Ashanti to fight back?
Yaa Asantewaa
138
What was the final war between the British and the Ashanti known as?
The war of the golden stool
139
When were the Ashanti finally defeated by the British?
In 1902
140
Who was sent into exile after the British finally defeated the Ashanti in 1902?
Asantewaa and the remaining Ashanti leaders were sent into exile to join Prempeh
141
What happened to the golden Ashanti treasures after their final defeat?
The treasures were lost and many of these items are displayed in British museums today
142
What happened to the Ashanti people when they lost their independence?
1. They were not given political rights
2. The legitimate leaders lost their power
3. They were forced off their land and into factories where they worked for very low wages
4. They were forced to pay taxes to the British colonial government
5. Very little was spent on healthcare and education for the Ashanti people
143
What did the British spend money on in the Gold Coast?
They spent money in things that would improve their ability to remove wealth and natural resources from the Gold Coast. They built roads and railways but only to be able to get the resources that they wanted as quickly as possible to the harbors where they could be shipped off to Europe
144
What was the British goal for the Gold Coast?
To take as much as possible from the Gold Coast with as little cost as possible to themselves
