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Imperialism means to create an empire
between many countries or regions.
In order to create an empire, one country
must take over another country and make it
apart of their country.
Usually, countries try to create empires to
A. gain more land
B. gain more or better resources
C. gain new people or to gain slaves
Take a look at the
map, What 2
continents is
Northern Africa
closest too?
Who do you think
their most likely trade
partners would be?
Why wouldn’t they be
as likely to trade with
North and South
America?
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A civilization is a society with cities, a
government, social classes and usually
include architecture, writing, and art.
The earliest civilizations in Africa rose up
along the major rivers such as the Nile and
the Niger rivers.
These were powerful kingdoms complete with
armies and they had trade routes across the
deserts.
Ever heard of Timbuktu? It was a
real kingdom on the Niger River.
The power of the North African kingdoms was based on trading across the
Sinai Peninsula with Asia and across the Med. With Europe.
The power of the West African kingdoms was based on gold and salt.
Have you ever heard the expression, “he is worth his salt?” or “He is worth
his weight in gold?”
That’s how you would get paid back then, based on your weight and your
worth.
Until the 1400’s,
the Europeans
and the Asians
traded fairly with
the African
kingdoms.
But, in 1492,
something
happened that
changed the
world.
A man named
Christopher
Columbus
“discovered” the
Americas.
After that, the
Europeans began
colonizing and
taking over
Africa.
The Europeans
were looking for
3 things in
Africa:
1. Land to
expand their
empires
2. Natural
Resources
such as gold,
salt, and
timber
3. Slaves for
their new
plantations in
the Americas
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1. What were the Europeans looking for in
Africa?
2. Why did the Europeans go from being
merchants to being colonizers?
3. What does it mean to colonize another
country?
4. Why did the European colonizing of Africa
cause problems?
1.
2.
3.
The Europeans took natural resources out of
Africa and didn’t pay the people for these
resources.
The Europeans favored some ethnic groups
more than others which led to more
resentment.
The Europeans did some positive things such
as establish hospitals, schools, roads, and
railroads.
Wars in Europe caused major damage and
money had to go to repairs.
a. World War I 1914-1918
b. World War II 1938-1945
2. After world war II, many European countries
could not afford to keep their colonies.
3. Nationalism –
A fierce belief in and devotion to one’s country
1.
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1. Beginning in the early 1900’s many
African leaders were educated in Europe.
2. These leaders saw the way that things
could be done and they wanted these things
for Africa.
3. These leaders took these ideas back to
Africa and began several nationalist
movements.
4.
5.
6.
7.
One movement, the Pan African movement,
was very successful.
The Pan African movement called for all
Africans to come together and demand their
independence.
The hope of this movement was that the
people of Africa would rise up and overcome
the Europeans – whether through force or
through peaceful protests.
Beginning in the 1950’s and lasting until the
1970’s, African nations slowly began gaining
their independence. Why then?
The Road to post colonization hasn’t always
been easy.
1.Because of long standing rivalries between
ethnic groups, when many countries gained
independence, there was ethnic conflict.
2.Different ethnic groups competed with one
another to control their new countries.
3.This sometimes led to genocide – the mass
killing of people from one ethnic, political, or
religious group.
4.
5.
6.
7.
In some countries, this led to civil war.
In other countries, governments put into
place policies of segregation.
In South Africa, a policy of segregation
called apartheid or apartness was put
into place.
Apartheid seperated ethnic groups into
3 categories: whites, blacks, and people
of Asian descent.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Under apartheid, each group had their
own township or homeland.
Groups did not interact with one
another unless it was servant to
employer.
The best jobs and best education went
to the white South Africans.
Persons of color (both the black and
Asian South Africans) were not allowed
to hold office.
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5. In order to travel from one township to
another, identity papers were required, like a
passport.
6. If you were caught without your passport,
you could go to jail.
7. Life was very hard for the non-whites in
South Africa.
8. apartheid lasted from the 1920’s until
1990.
9. A man named Nelson Mandela used the
teachings of Gandhi to lead peaceful protests
against the South African govern.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Mandela was arrested by the South
African government because they said
that he was inciting rebellion against the
government.
He was in jail for 27 years before being
released in 1990 by President F. W.
Deklerk.
In 1994, Mandela was elected as the first
black president of South Africa.
Although apartheid ended, South Africa
is still struggling to improve their
economy for all groups.
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14. What are some challenges being faced
by the governments of Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan,
Kenya, and South Africa?
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Apartheid
Nationalism
Imperialism
Pan African Movement