Imperialized Nigeria
KATEY GOLDSTROHM
BLOCK 3
10/29/10
Imperialist Country
Great Britain
 An island Northwest of
Continental Europe
 Ireland located to the west
 First arrived in Nigeria in
1539
 Queen Victoria as leader

Frederick Lugard – chosen
governor
 (1900) 36,686,000 people
http://www.giervalk.bravepages.com/GreatBritain/Great-Britain-Map-1.jpg
Imperialized Nation
Nigeria
 In West Africa; Chad &
Cameroon in east, Niger
to the north, and coast
on Gulf of Guinea
 Claimed as British
colony in 1914
 Sir George Taubman
Goldie as leader
 (1900) 16,000,000
people
Map of Africa, 1914
http://www.compuhigh.com/demo/worldhist/lesson10.html
Why Nigeria?
 British had thirst for raw
materials in Africa


Abundant resources =
industrial growth
Tin, cotton, cocoa, groundnuts,
palm oil
 Wanted to secure oil and
http://www.refugees.org/uploadedImages/Investigate/Publications_and_Arc
hives/World_Refugee_Survey/Maps/Nigeria.jpg
ivory trade to gain coastal
power
 Aimed for economic and
political control
 Nigeria was key to
imperialistic expansion
Why Nigeria?
Political & Social
Economic & Geopolitical
 British sought to
 Wanted to establish forts
overtake Nigerian
military
 Could go through
diplomatic figures to gain
power
 Wanted to bring
European influence

Nigeria was a mix of various
tribes, languages, traditions
and trading ports off coast

Competing for trade and
bigger empire in Atlantic
 Saw new markets in Africa
as great opportunity
 Intended to draw borders
of land and gain Niger
River Delta

Major trading port for chief
export palm oil
Geopolitics of Nigeria
 Nigerian land was easy to
acquire for British
 Some rulers signed treaties of
protection with Britain and
accepted residents

Those who rebelled were defeated
by military
 Royal Niger Company gained
control of palm oil trade
 Berlin Conference granted
protectorate of Niger River
delta
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DeabNDTNx68/SVPr7EKXy6I/AAA
AAAAAAlY/162HX8mmP-4/s1600/NigerDelta.gif
Imperializing Nigeria
Great Britain took over
Nigerian military forces and
negotiated with diplomats to
create treaty of protection
2. 1885  Royal Niger Company
formed under Sir George
Taubman Goldie; aimed to add
Niger River to British Empire
3. 1901  Nigeria declared British
protectorate
1.
Sir George Taubman Goldie
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/
Sir_George_Dashwood_Taubman_Goldie_by_Sir_Hubert_von
_Herkomer.jpg/220pxSir_George_Dashwood_Taubman_Goldie_by_Sir_Hubert_von
_Herkomer.jpg
Resistance Efforts
 Some Nigerians opposed British interference
 Africans as a whole tried combining military forces
 British Conquest of Benin (1897)


Completed British occupation of Southwest Nigeria
Massacre of British consul and his party sparked incident
 Anglo-Aro War (1901)

Began after increased tension between Aro leaders and British
colonists
 “His chances of effective resistance have been steadily
dwindling…Thus the African is really helpless against the
material gods of the white man, as embodied in the
trinity of imperialism, capitalistic exploitation, and
militarism.” – Edward Morel, The Black Man’s Burden
Results of Imperialism
Geopolitical
Economic
 1901  Nigeria became
 Trade with Britain
British protectorate
 1914  Claimed as a
British colony

Divided into 2 provinces –
Northern and Southern
Nigeria
 Economy and education
excelled in south more so
than north
turned out uneven

Nigeria exported valuable
resources to benefit
British
 Remained wealthy in
natural resources
 Economy weakened
Results of Imperialism
Political
Social
 Utilized strong military
 Nigerians adapted to
style of government

Colonized through this
method
 British missionaries
worked with/against
Nigerians along coast
British customs



British education system
English language
Christianity
 Improvement of
transportation and
technology
 Separation of tribes
 Freedom for some slaves
Bibliography
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Anderson, Becky. "Imperialism in Africa: Britain." Chico Unified School District - CUSD
Main - CUSD Homepage - CUSD Homepage. 1997. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/imperialism/anderson.htm>.
Black, Linda, Larry S. Krieger, and Phillip C. Naylor. "Imperialism." Modern World
History. By Roger B. Beck. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2009. 779-84. Print.
"Britain Benin Conquest 1897." OnWar.com - Wars, Military History, International
Relations. Web. 25 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/uni/uk/18/fbenin1897.htm>.
"Imperialism Case Study: Nigeria - CDA's World History Wiki." Welcome to CDA's World
History Wiki Updates - CDA's World History Wiki. Web. 19 Oct. 2010.
<http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/imperialism-case-study:nigeria>.
"Nigeria - THE COLONIAL ECONOMIC LEGACY." Country Studies. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.
<http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/53.htm>.
"Nigeria: Extension of British Control." Library of Congress Country Studies. June 1991.
Web. 19 Oct. 2010. <http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ng0028)>.
Williams, Richard. "British Imperialism and Its Influence on Politics in
Nigeria." Associated Content - Associatedcontent.com. 12 Jan. 2009. Web. 19 Oct.
2010.
<http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1364260/british_imperialism_and_
its_influence.html>.