week 5 - scramble for africa Flashcards
britain in africa
between 1857 and 1890 britain significantly extended its influence
in africa.
chartered companies such as the royal niger company, the
imperial british africa company and the british south africa
company took administrative control of regions such as southern
nigeria, northern nigeria, british east africa and uganda.
british protectorates were established by either treaty or war in
territories such as zululand and british somaliland.
other territories were occupied or had british settlements.
egypt and sudan were occupied protectorates from 1882
king leopold ii of belgium
king leopold ii took power of belgium in 1865, a very small kingdom.
empire envy - queen victoria is his first cousin, who was about to become empress of india.
aware of the african explorers - david livingstone and henry stanley.
sets his sights on central Africa secure his own empire.
realises that he needs to:
. support expedition into the african interior.
· have a moral purpose (anti-slavery).
after livingstone’s death, stanley returns to central africa to map the congo
leopold II has been following stanley’s exploits avidly .
the brussels conference 1886
king leopold hosted a conference of explorers and leaders from european geographical societies.
conference aimed mostly at protecting belgian interests in the
congo:
- africans incapable of developing the resources found in
central africa.
- routes to africa’s great lakes needed to be developed (roads
railways).
- the international african association set-up to organise european efforts.
other european powers were suspicious of leopold’s intentions.
triggers competition between powers for african claims.
international african association hired stanley to advise in the congo.
it is clear Leopold is establishing his own congo empire - france, italy, portugal hired their own explorers to establish claims.
the berlin conference 1884 - 1885
on november 15th, 1884, representatives of 14 world powers arrived at the berlin palace of the german chancellor, otto von bismarck.
an international summit.
three months in a grand ballroom dominated by a five- metre-high map of africa.
delegates discussed how to carve up africa.
european powers had been colonising africa for decades.
at this conference they decided which parts of africa they would be able to treat as their own.
no africans took part in the summit - only two of the delegates had ever even been to africa.
the general act 1885
the berlin conference ended with agreement known as: the
general act.
free trade was to be established throughout the basin of the congo and lake malawi.
the principle of effective occupation meant powers could secure
countries as long as they had a local treaty, active administration
and could police the country.
properties occupied through treaties made on behalf of belgian king leopold’s international congo society were agreed to belong to the society, and thus became leopold’s private, personal empire.
leopold’s congo empire
stanley working for the international association of the congo (leopold’s renamed front for moral mission and exploration).
stanley signs over 450 treaties with local chiefs to claim sovereignty over their lands.
these are rights to trade, resources and fisheries. stanley pays as little as 2 pieces of cloth a month for these rights.
these treaties are agreed as “effective occupation” at the berlin conference.
leopold’s congo free state established in 1885.
remains leopold’s private african kingdom until 1908.
