CCOT Africa
8000 – 600 CE
Politics
“stateless society”
in 1500s farmers in Niger
and Benue valleys migrated
-Bantu migrations- led to
areas formerly occupied by
nomads
-Jenne-Jeno – first city in
Africa
-Menes unites Egypt
- Egypt goes through the
Old, Middle, and New
kingdom
Economy
Largely based on farming
-Egypt is based on trade
with the Mediterranean
-difficulty in crossing
forests and deserts in Africa
Religion
-polytheistic
- animal worship, explaining
the unknown
Social Class/Gender
-patriarchial society
-more womens rights in
Egypt
600 – 1450 CE
-Persian conquest of North
Africa (Egypt)
-Islam Empires (Songhai,
Mali, Saadi Dynasty)
-isolated Empires –
Zimbabwe, Swahili (still has
nomads)
-Christian Empires- (Algeirs,
Tunis)
1450-1750 CE
Great Zimbabwe- huge city
walls, impressed Europeans
-Great Mosque at Kilwa
-huge resources of gold (put
into architecture
-churches showing new
Christianity and Islam
1750 – 1914 CE
Napoleon Bonaparte
invades Egypt (1798) Muhammad Ali control in
1805
-Fulani: Sub-Saharan
African people who start
wars to impose their own
interpretatioin of Islam
-European Scramble for
Africa (1875-1900)
-Battle of Omdurman (1898)
-Boer War (1899-1902)
-Union of South Africa
established (1910)
-Italy invades Libya (1911)
-African National Congress
created (1912)
-heavy wealth from Muslim
merchants
-South Africa economically
isolated
-traded with European ships
- produced textiles, gold,
silver, precious gems, labor,
etc.
-heavy wealth from Muslim
merchants
-South Africa economically
isolated
-traded with European ships
- produced textiles, gold,
silver, precious gems, labor,
etc.
-beginning conflict between
races
-Muslim merchants very
popular
-patriarchial
- moderate slave
trade/captures
Great Zimbabwe- huge city
walls, impressed Europeans
-Great Mosque at Kilwa
-huge resources of gold (put
into architecture
-churches showing new
Christianity and Islam
-slave trade ends: Great
Britain (1807), United States
(1808), France (1814),
Neetherlands (1817)
Great Zimbabwe- huge city
walls, impressed Europeans
-Great Mosque at Kilwa
-huge resources of gold (put
into architecture
-churches showing new
Christianity and Islam
-antonianism: African
Great Zimbabwe- huge city
walls, impressed Europeans
-Great Mosque at Kilwa
-huge resources of gold (put
into architecture
-churches showing new
Christianity and Islam
-Population growth in subSahara: 35 million in 1500
to 60 million in 1800
-slave trade abolished in 19th
c.
-slavery abolished in
colonies shortly after
- disrupted gender ratio
syncretic religion, founded
by Dona Beatriz
-continuing Christian
Influence
1914 - Present
Revolution in Egypt(1919)
Italy invades Ethiopia(1935)
Independence in South Africa
(1948)
Apartheid (1948)
Algerian War (1954-1962)
Morocco and Tunisia gain
independence (1956)
Ghana gains independence
(1957)
Kenyan independence (1963)
Kwame Nkrumah overthrown
in coup (1966)
Civil war in Uganda (’71-’94)
Angola gains independence
(1975)
Zimbabwe gains independence
(1980)
Apartheid dismantled (1990)
Nelson Mandela becomes
president of South Africa (’94)
Suez Canal Crisis (1956)
Instability after independence
was gained
10% of world’s population but
>1% industrial output
South African economy
prospered during WWII
Islam in West and North Africa
Christianity in East and SubSaharan Africa
Whites owned the enterprises
Emerging class of native urban
intellectuals – a new elite
Members of elite often
educated in Europe
Jomo Kenyyata – example of
elite trend
Science/Inventions
Art/Architecture
Geography
-not particular cities, but
rather small farming
communities living close
together
-extensive roads to connect
isolated city-states
-use of materials to build
churches/walls
Kinship and clans
remained unchanged at
the local level
Construction of the Suez
Canal (1859-1869)
Port facilities, railroads, roads,
telegraph wires
Great Zimbabwe- huge city
walls, impressed Europeans
-Great Mosque at Kilwa
-huge resources of gold (put
into architecture
-churches showing new
Christianity and Islam
Great Zimbabwe- huge city
walls, impressed Europeans
-Great Mosque at Kilwa
-huge resources of gold (put
into architecture
-churches showing new
Christianity and Islam
Timbuktu becomes
intellectual center
-Islamic universities
-“blood” diamonds
discovered
-weaving
-pottery
-slavery creates African
diaspora
No information
Swahili city=states of East
Africa and West Africa was
where Islam was very
popular.
Kingdom of Kongo and
Kingdom of Ndongowere
involved in slave trade with
the Portuguese
-vital part of Triangle Trade
-still huge differences
between North and South
from separation of Saharan
Desert
People’s National Identity
-Some based it on Geography
Nations built along the borders
that defined existing colonial
states