12.2- Partition
of Africa
European countries
scramble for African
territories. Africans resist, but
cannot stop the Europeans.
Africa in the Early 1800s

Prior to imperialism, Africa was a multilanguage, multi-governmental country

North Africa was largely composed of the
Sahara Desert, along with fertile lands near
the Mediterranean Sea.

East Africa was largely influenced by the
Muslim religion, slave trade (Middle East), and
natural resources such as copper and ivory
Africa in the Early 1800s

In Southern Africa, the Zulus
emerged as a major force,
led by Shaka

Shaka slowly took over and
conquered many nearby
people.

This set off many wars and
migrations away from the
area.
Great Trek

A group called the
boers migrated from the
now British-controlled
Cape Colony.

They migrated
northeast, eventually
running into the Zulus,
creating a conflict that
would last until the end
of the century
European Contact Increases

Navigating Africa’s large rivers (Niger, Nile, Congo)
led European imperialists to explore Africa further
inland

Catholic and Protestant missionaries traveled into
Africa and helped build schools, medical clinics, and
churches

The missionaries urged Africans to reject their native
ways in favor of Western civilization

Famous Missionaries: Dr. David Livingstone, Henry
Stanley
A Scramble for Colonies
 King
Leopold II of Belgium hired Henry
Stanley to navigate the Congo River Basin
and arrange trades with African leaders
there.
 This
set off a scramble for African colonies
Berlin Conference

The purpose of the Berlin Conference was to avoid
war over African territories

They recognized Leopold’s claims at the Congo
Basin, but organized free trade from the Congo and
Niger rivers

They also claimed that a European power could not
claim any part of Africa unless it had set up a
government office there

This led to the completely redrawn map of Europe,
on page 395.
Issues with Imperialism

Workers in the Congo (under Belgian rule)
were beaten and mutilated, and the
population declined drastically.

France lost tens of thousands of lives in its
conquest of Algeria, in North Africa

Britain acquired the Cape Colony in 1814,
and also saw its influence spread into Egypt,
the Sudan, and West Africa as well.
The Boer War

Boers left the Cape Colony, and headed north to
set up their own colonies and governments

In the late 1800s, the discovery of gold led them
into conflicts with the British, eventually resulting in
the Boer War, which lasted from 1899-1902, costing
many British casualties

Eventually, Britain unified the Boer republics with
the Cape Colony, creating the Union of South
Africa.
Africans Resist Imperialism





Algerians battle the French
British battled the Zulus in the South, and the
Asante in the West
Germans were fighting in Zimbabwe in the East
Maji-Maji Rebellion- Germans survive after burning
farmlands, leading the natives to starve
Ethiopia managed to fight off imperialists and
maintain their independence

Menelik II began to modernize the country in the
late 1800s, building roads, a school system, etc.