Imperialism in Africa
The Evolution of Imperialism in Africa
From: Santa Ana Unified School District GATE
History Standards:
10.4.2 Discuss the locations of the colonial rule o such nation as England, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Portugal, and the United States.
10.4.3 Explain imperialism from the perspective of the colonizers and the colonized and the
varied immediate and long term responses by the people under colonial rule.
10.5.4 Understand the nature of the war and its human costs (military and civilian) on all sides
of the conflict, including how colonial peoples contributed to the war effort.
10.10 Students analyze instance of nation building in the contemporary world in at least two of
the following regions or countries: the Middle East, Africa, Mexico and other parts of Latin
America, and China.
CCSS Standards: Reading, Grades 9-10
2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an
accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
3. Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events
caused later ones or simply preceded them.
Writing, Grades 9-10
1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using
advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research
question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding
plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter
time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes,
and audiences.
Guiding Question:
How has control over the people in Africa changed over time? How does this influence the
study of history?
Overview of Lesson:
a. Students analyze the essential question.
b. Teacher and students read narrative introduction to the topic as a class. Students should
answer the questions in complete sentences.
c. Using group investigation, students analyze 2 historical documents searching for details,
interdisciplinary connections, point of view, and unanswered questions. Use the 6Cs.
d. Groups share out their findings with the class
e. Students return to their group and discuss change over time using the 3 historical sources
Students record their findings on a prewriting outline.
e. Students respond to the essential question using the documents as evidence.
Imperialism in Africa:
How has control over the people in Africa changed over time?
How does this influence the study of history?
After the Industrial Revolution, the period of New Imperialism began.
European nations desired to control other countries to obtain natural resources, find new markets to
sell their goods and to bring glory to their empire. From 1875-1900 Europeans scrambled to colonize
Africa resulting in nearly the entire continent to be taken over and
ruled by foreigners. This control of the region brought great wealth
to European nations.
In the beginning, explorers discovered the great potential of
colonizing Africa and soon countries and investors began to flock
there in order to obtain wealth. Europeans governments began by
granting private companies large areas of land to undertake
economic activities such as mining, plantations, agriculture, or
railroad construction. These companies had permission to tax the
people and recruit labor. This approach allowed European
governments to colonize and exploit large territories with only a
small investment in capital and personnel. These companies used
brutal forced labor, which provoked a public outcry in Europe, and
profits smaller than anticipated convinced most European
th
governments by the early 20 century to stop the powers of private companies and to establish their
own rules. Most countries relied on direct rule. They goal was to remove strong kings and other
leaders and to replace them with Europeans or people who followed European control. The lack of
European personnel, long distances and ineffective communication (inability to
speak local languages and a limited understanding of local customs among
European official) further undermined their effective administration.
During WWI (1914-1918) African colonies were bound to European
powers and became participants in the war, willing or not. This forced
recruitment of military service led some Africans to fight against their colonial
country. However, Europeans generally put down the uprising. After WWI and
the treaty of Versailles, Germany lost control over their colonies to other
countries. These countries continued their economic exploitation of Africa.
Many Africans were disappointed that their contributions to the war went
unrewarded.
After WWI, Woodrow Wilson’s ideas of self-determination
influenced the growth of African’s new elite who would
promote nationalism. These African intellectuals searched
for new identities and looked to find a way to remove European control.
After WWII, decolonization began, but the Cold War and internal divisions between African
societies slowed the process. Increased nationalism caused many regions in Africa to rise up and
overthrow their colonial power. In Sub-Saharan, Ghana found success in achieving its freedom from
British rule in 1957. Ghana inspired other African nationalist movements. After independence, Ghana
prepared for a visit from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. The
people created roadside portraits to show their newfound
equality. In other places the resistance was not as peaceful.
Violence and discontent was used during rebellion from
Colonial powers. Another challenge to decolonization was that
Europeans created boundaries that did not correspond to
economic or ethnic divisions. As a result, achieving national
unity was difficult because there were numerous conflicts
between ethnic groups within the states. Political institutions
struggled because of great poverty. Increased tensions made
the absence of good administration and welfare programs
more difficult. Poverty also prevented nations from gaining the capital that could have contributed to
a sound political and economic infrastructure. Several African nations fell prey to harsh military rule.
South Africa managed in part to solve its political crisis and discord, providing a model for multiethnic African transformation even as ethnic violence flared. However, as elsewhere large numbers of
white settlers in South Africa sought for the arrival of black freedom. Under the National Party the
government instituted a harsh new set of laws designed to control the black population, these new laws
constituted the system known as apartheid or “separateness.” This system asserted white supremacy
and institutionalized the racial segregation in 1948, but in 1989 the President of South Africa and
Nelson Mandela began to remove the apartheid system.
Most African nations are less developed countries- countries that have the lowest per capital
incomes and little industrial development. Yet, it is rich in mineral resources, raw materials, and
agricultural products, but it lacks the capital, technology, foreign markets, and managerial class
necessary to exploit its natural wealth. Africa’s burdens were complicated by droughts, famines, and
agricultural production that could not keep pace with population growth. Nevertheless, African sates
have continued to enter into the global economy.