Letter from the Director
Dear Delegates,
Hello! My name is Isabella Pizarro and I will be directing the Berlin Conference of 18841885. I’m currently a sophomore at the college. I’m from Northern Virginia, but I have spent a
large amount of my life outside of the United States. I started MUN when I was a freshman in high
school and the first conference I attended was actually WMHSMUN. Throughout high school I
attended conferences and when I got to William & Mary I continued to stay involved. I most
recently was a director at our WMIDMUN conference. In addition to being in the International
Relations Club (which is the club that organizes all MUN related events) I am in the Latin
American Student Union and a social sorority.
As you know, this is a historical committee. To clarify any possible confusion, anything that
happened after November of 1884 has not yet happened with regards to our committee. You guys
are recreating a conference; it is up to all of you to decide what the outcome of the Berlin
Conference is.
For a majority of you this will not be your first conference. However, if it is your first
conference (or even if it isn’t) I recommend that you go on the WMHSMUN website and read up
about the basics of parliamentary procedure. I really recommend doing your research, otherwise
you will be left without much to say, and it is a small committee!
Most importantly, I want you all to enjoy this experience and feel comfortable. If you have
any questions or concerns please feel free to email me at ipizarro@email.wm.edu. I look forward to
seeing you all in November!
Sincerely,
Isabella Pizarro
College of William and Mary ‘18
Director, Berlin Conference of 1884-1885
Introduction to the Berlin Conference
This conference, beginning in November of 1884, aims to settle the issues that
affect the Europeans who are in Africa or planning to colonize any area of Africa1.
Topics like who had sovereignty over which part of Africa or how to regulate trade
dominate the conference. The German chancellor Otto Van Bismarck has invited
representatives of 13 European countries (Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France,
the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden–Norway, the
Ottoman Empire) and the United States to Berlin to discuss the issues of colonization2.
At the time of the conference a majority of Africa has yet to be conquered by the
Europeans. This conference will set in motion the true conquest of Africa, more
popularly known as the “scramble for Africa”3.
One of the main reasons that European interest in Africa had increased so
dramatically was that Henry Stanley had mapped out the Congo River in 18774. This
allowed for Europeans to venture to the interior of Africa, which was often referred to
as the “darkness”5. This conference gives order to what otherwise so far has been a
messy and confused conquest, with multiple countries claiming the same territory.
Most importantly, for the Europeans, the conference prevented war from breaking out
between rivals seeking out the same land.
1
"Berlin, Conference of 1884-1885." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 3 June 2015.
2
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
3
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
4
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
5
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Topic 1: Dividing Africa & Establishing Rules for Unoccupied Territories
Going back to the 15th century, the Portuguese were the first European power
to have established any sort of settlement in Africa and in comparison to the other
European powers they dominated Africa until the 16th century 6 . Essentially, the
Portuguese began the Age of Discovery, which led to the strong interest in Africa.
Africa is extremely important to the Europeans seeing as how it is a massive piece of
land with numerous valuable resources that has no recognized sovereign (at least to
the Western powers). Thus it was important to establish order on how to regulate the
colonization of Africa. At the time of the conference, only the coastal areas, particularly
the northern coast, of Africa had
been colonized, with the interior of
Pre-conference of Berlin Africa. Digital image.
Https://www.andrew.cmu.edu. Web.
Africa left untouched. The map to
the right predates the conference; it
is estimated to be a few years before
the conference.
6
"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." The Portuguese in Africa, 1415–1600. Web. 4 June 2015.
When the conference began only 10% of Africa was under European control,
the rest of it left to its traditional control7. In the past, Africa has had a variety of local
government structures. Ranging from a centralized kingdom (like the Old Kingdom of
Egypt) to a city-state like that of Ibadan (located in present day Nigeria)8. There are
also a variety of decentralized or stateless areas9. It is believed that up to a 1/3 of
Africa was like this10. An example would
be
the
villages
Yoruba
Igbo,
11
who
had
autonomous
. In comparison, the nearby
people
have
maintained
a
monarchy for most of their history. In 1884
Africa, there are over 1,000 indigenous
cultures and regions, thus when creating a
colony nations should keep in mind the
linguistic boundaries and the rivalries
amongst the different indigenous people
that could arise. The Congo basin was a
territory that interested many of the
Congo River Basin. Digital Image. http://news.mongabay.com/. W eb Europeans, so much so that the
conference
was
nicknamed
the
Congo Conference12. Seeing as how it covered 3,000 miles and was Africa’s second
largest river, it could be of great aid to the Europeans for transporting goods and
trade13. The region alone contained over 200 ethnic groups.
7
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Faal, Courtney. "The Partition of Africa." The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. Accessed July 6, 2015.
9
Faal, Courtney. "The Partition of Africa." The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. Accessed July 6, 2015.
10
Faal, Courtney. "The Partition of Africa." The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. Accessed July 6, 2015.
11
Faal, Courtney. "The Partition of Africa." The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. Accessed July 6, 2015.
12
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
13
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
8
Each participant in the conference saw the other as a competitor; the fight for land in
Africa was competitive. No longer could one claim territory in the Americas; Africa was
the new place to colonize.
Questions to Consider
1. What land does your country want? Does this land conflict with any of the other
participants in the conference?
2. What land has your country successfully obtained?
3. What are your naval and military capabilities? Would your country be capable of
establishing order in a colony without any help? Establish Trade Laws in Africa
Resources were the driving force for the Europeans in Africa, thus trade is
incredibly important. Africa holds timber, gold, labor power, cotton, diamonds, exc14.
Prior to the conference colonists generally have created trade relationships with local
government authorities15. Seeing as how a majority of Africa is still controlled by the
locals this makes sense. Africa offers countries like Germany, France, Britain, Portugal
and many more the opportunity to improve their economies16. There is also an
increased demand for raw materials, which are hard to find in Europe but easy to find
in Africa17.
Drawing of the Berlin Conference. Digital Image. http://www.gilderlehrman.org. Web In the past mercantilism had dominated European trade (especially in the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries) and trade policies generally were protectionist18.
In the 1700s many advocated for freer domestic and international markets (people such
14
15
16
17
18
Hargreaves, John. "The Berlin West Africa Conference: A Timely Centenary." History Today. Web.
Hargreaves, John. "The Berlin West Africa Conference: A Timely Centenary." History Today. Web.
Hargreaves, John. "The Berlin West Africa Conference: A Timely Centenary." History Today. Web.
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
King, Gene Jr. “The Development of Free Trade in Europe”. Hillsdale College. Web.
as Sallustio Bandini and Adam Smith)19. The effects of this push for free trade varied
from nation to nation20. For example, In 1786 France and Britain made a treaty that
liberalized trade between the two nations21.
When considering trade laws, the participants of the conference must consider
what type of policies would benefit them. While it is economically beneficial to occupy
a territory, it is arguably just as beneficial to have trade relations throughout Africa; by
having this type of relationship it gives access to an incredible amount of resources
which could be hard to find without the having help from the locals.
In respect to the Congo, Kind Leopold II founded the International African
Association prior to the conference in 1876 and originally the purpose was
philanthropic; however, the association was actually dominated by economic
interests22. In 1879 the association was replaced by the International Association of the
Congo, essentially the same as the previous except with more focus on the Congo23. By
1884 many treaties were made blocking the association’s access to the Congo.
The bountiful resources in Africa have hardly been utilized, giving European
countries the perfect opportunity to compete for the resources, which would give them
great prestige internationally.
Questions to Consider
1. What type of trade would your country find beneficial? Should there be tariffs,
exc.?
2. What resources are you trying to obtain or have obtained? Are they resources
that are more common or scarce?
19
King, Gene Jr. “The Development of Free Trade in Europe”. Hillsdale College. Web.
King, Gene Jr. “The Development of Free Trade in Europe”. Hillsdale College. Web.
21
King, Gene Jr. “The Development of Free Trade in Europe”. Hillsdale College. Web.
22
"Berlin, Conference of 1884-1885." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 3 June 2015.
23
"Berlin, Conference of 1884-1885." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 3 June 2015.
20
3. Would your government want to try to work with the locals? Or completely
overrule them? Treatment of the Local People
Beginning in the 1600s slave trade had been extremely popular amongst the Western
24
powers; however, by the 1850s western society had mostly turned against it . For example, Britain
25
banned slave trade in 1807 (but this did not end slavery) . However, this only applied to Britain.
There was an outcry from western society to stop all slave trade, but even with this call for banning
slave trade Africans still were generally treated poorly if not terribly. For this reason, creating
baseline regulations for how the Europeans are to treat the Africans is very important. Prior to the
conference, Africans have generally been treated in the same way the Europeans have treated the
26
natives of the New World .
With over 1,000 different ethnic groups within Africa the Europeans must come up with a
way to interact with them while also extracting
the resources they desire. Each ethnic group
will obviously respond to the Europeans
differently. Also important to note is that some
of the ethnic groups have already been split by
established colonies or forced together with
rival groups, which can make ruling a colony
27
difficult. . Africa, rightfully, is the home of
Map showing indigenous groups in Africa. McDougall Littell: World History 2005 these 1,000+ indigenous groups whom had
already established customs for dealing with
their resources, trading with other groups, exc.
It is a popular sentiment amongst
Europeans and the Americans that the
Africans need to be taught how to be
28
civilized , thus it seems just to the Europeans
24
"Imperialism in 1880." Web. June 2015. <http://www.stjohns-chs.org/>.
"The National Archives | Exhibitions & Learning Online | Black Presence | Rights." The National Archives | Exhibitions
& Learning Online | Black Presence | Rights. Web. June 2015.
26
"The Berlin Conference of 1884–85 (The General Act of the Berlin Conference)." Originalpeopleorg. Accessed July 6,
2015.
27
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
28
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
25
that they are conquering Africa because they would be “educating” the Africans. Additionally,
Europeans feel a sense of superiority over the Africans; the fact that such small countries have the
ability to conquer such large pieces of land plays into how the Europeans interact with the Africans.
Religion also plays a huge factor in this “education” that the Europeans want to employ in Africa.
Seeing as how the ethnic groups all have their own separate beliefs converting them to Christianity
will vary in being easy to challenging.
Questions to Consider
1. What has your country done about slave trade? Is there a strong movement within
your country to abolish it?
2. How should your country conduct themselves towards the indigenous people?
Will they simply impose their rule over them or allow for some freedom?
3. How big of a part will religion play in your country’s treatment of the Africans?
Will your colony emphasize religion?
W orks Cited
"Berlin, Conference of 1884-1885." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 3 June 2015.
"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." The Portuguese in Africa, 1415–1600. Web. 4 June 2015.
"Imperialism in 1880." Web. June 2015. <http://www.stjohns-chs.org/>.
"The Berlin Conference of 1884–85 (The General Act of the Berlin Conference)." Originalpeopleorg.
Accessed July 6, 2015.
"The National Archives | Exhibitions & Learning Online | Black Presence | Rights." The National Archives |
Exhibitions & Learning Online | Black Presence | Rights. Web. June 2015.
Boateng, Osei. "License to Colonize." New African. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Faal, Courtney. "The Partition of Africa." The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. Accessed July 6,
2015.
Hargreaves, John. "The Berlin West Africa Conference: A Timely Centenary." History Today. Web.
King, Gene Jr. “The Development of Free Trade in Europe”. Hillsdale College. Web.
WMHSMUN
Twenty-Nine