Topic Abstract: Berlin Conference, 1884
September 5, 2015
Dear Delegates and Moderators,
Welcome to the Berlin Conference, 1884! In a few short months, delegates will join other
members of the Berlin Conference to discuss and respond to the issues facing the
Europeans in deciding the continent’s future role in Africa.
The document included here is a ‘topic abstract’ for the Berlin Conference, 1884 at
NAIMUN LIII. Here, you will find information and avenues for further research on the
topics we will be discussing during the conference.
The intent of this abstract is so that you may begin research and have an understanding of
the material that will be discussed in this committee before a full background guide is
released. Use these abstracts to help you focus on understanding the issues at play in each
topic and the ways in which they may interact with the programs and goals of the Berlin
Conference.
We hope to assist you in any way possible in the lead-up to NAIMUN, so if you have any
questions, comments, or concerns, please contact the Chair of the Berlin Conference, 1884
committee – Christian Bakken – directly at cab278@georgetown.edu.
Best,
Aaron and Arnosh
Aaron Wen
Secretary General
Arnosh Keswani
Director General
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Topic Abstract: Berlin Conference, 1884
The Topics
Dear Delegates,
Welcome one and all to the year 1884, where you and a selection of 40 of Europe’s top
diplomats are gathered in Berlin to discuss the most pressing issue in European diplomacy:
the Scramble for Africa.
Europeans in Africa
Since the time of the Greeks, Europeans have explored, traded with, and colonized North
Africa, but they never ventured far beyond the Mediterranean coasts. Not until the Age of
Navigation in the mid-15th century were European powers, led by the Portuguese, able to sail
around Africa, interacting with many native kingdoms and tribes for the first time. Rounding
the Cape of Good Hope in 1487, the Portuguese soon established forts around the African
coastline, where they began an active trading relationship with African kingdoms. EuroAfrican relations were soon dominated by the slave trade. This system forcibly carried
millions of Africans to the New World until its abolition in the early 19th century. Over the
next century, slavery was gradually abolished by European powers. By 1884, all European
powers had banned slavery, while providing cooperative African kingdoms with guns and
other European goods. The wealth of the slave trade drove the first non-Portuguese
settlements in Africa, as nations from Great Britain to tiny Courland established forts and
trading centers, primarily in West Africa.
Most of the inhabitants of Africa’s vast interior were untouched by slavery. The majority of
these groups would not come into contact with Europeans until the mid-19th century, when
technological advances and increasing knowledge of the rest of the world drove Europeans
like David Livingstone and Henry Stanley to cross the continent, looking for the sources of
the Nile, to spread Christianity, or to seek fame and wealth. With most of Africa explored
and Europe at peace, European powers now have the ability to directly control and settle
Africa, seeking arable land, mineral resources, strategic footholds, and national prestige.
Currently, some European powers, such as the French in Algeria and the British in South
Africa, have already begun using their militaries to secure their territorial claims. For
countries without a presence on the Dark Continent, this conference could be a way to
ensure that the larger states do not monopolize access to Africa at the expense of those with
budding colonial ambitions.
The European Balance of Power
A century and a half of near constant conflict across Europe came to an end in 1815 when
the Congress of Vienna established the Concert of Europe. After the defeat of Napoleon,
the victorious powers hammered out an agreement, which restored the balance of power
that had existed before the French Revolution. Based on an outdated political order, the new
agreement had not foreseen growing liberal and nationalist movements, nor the tumult
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Topic Abstract: Berlin Conference, 1884
provoked by a unified Germany and Italy. As a result, tension and conflict has begun
simmering in Schleswig, Alsace, Greece, and the Crimea.
In 1884, Austria-Hungary, Russia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are the
strongest powers in Europe. Though only united in 1871, Germany has won three wars
against its neighbors in recent years and has rapidly industrialized under the leadership of
Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. As a result of Germany’s military strength and Bismarck’s
aggressive Realpolitik, Germany appears much more dangerous to outsiders than other
continental powers. Although Russia and Austria-Hungary have minimal industrial
development and are facing rising internal tensions between ethnic and social classes, as well
as border conflicts with the Ottoman Empire, both maintain sprawling continental empires.
France, long the dominant military power in Europe, was trounced in the Franco-Prussian
War, causing economic depression and national humiliation. Politically, France is also
divided, having gone through two monarchies, one republic, and an empire in the 19th
century before the establishment of the Third Republic, which governs France today. The
radicalism of the Paris Commune, which came to power during the War, is still popular
among parts of society.
Britain has an untouchable navy, a booming industrial sector, and the largest global empire,
though it has been focused more on affairs in the empire than on the continent.
Smaller nations such as the Netherlands and Portugal can draw upon the wealth of their
colonial holdings to maintain relevance. A newly unified Italy is looking to expand, while the
Spanish, the Ottoman, and Swedish Empires have been facing territorial reductions and
economic destabilization. Denmark and Belgium play a limited but important role in
European affairs, though not beyond the continent. The rapidly expanding United States is a
wildcard, but has yet played little role in European affairs. All, however, are looking to gain
allies and colonies to strengthen their position for future wars or disputes.
One goal of the Berlin Conference is to prevent the conflict that has often arisen around the
fringes of European colonial empires – in Canada, India, and the East Indies. The potential
wealth of Africa could do much to raise a new nation like Italy to global prominence, breathe
new life into dying empires like Spain, give defeated nations like France a new change at
glory, strengthen an already strong and sprawling empire like Britain, or assist fraying nations
like Austria to unify its populace under the banner of conquest. With all this at stake, there is
a realistic concern that expansion into Africa could lead to war. So a diplomatic solution is
critical for some countries, while others foment the flames of war in hopes of upending an
unfavorable status quo.
Additional Notes
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Topic Abstract: Berlin Conference, 1884
Be cautious not to let the true historical outcomes of the Berlin Conference impact your
activities in the committee – it is easy to see now how many problems the conference
produced in hindsight. Sources on the historical Berlin Conference and its results are merely
to give information on how you as a diplomat can approach the issue. While this committee
is a formatted like a General Assembly, new developments may be brought to the delegates’
attention as fits the flow of the debate. Therefore, having a knowledge not just of your
delegation's position and goals, but also of the geography, peoples, and resources of Africa
will prove favorable to aptly prepared delegates in and out of committee. Using holdings
elsewhere in the world, alliance situations, or economic incentives as trading chips for
African possessions could be useful, so do not neglect to take a holistic approach in
researching your country.
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Topic Abstract: Berlin Conference, 1884
Resources for Further Research
Scramble for Africa and the Berlin Conference
- Crowe, Sybil Eyre. The Berlin West African Conference, 1884-1885. Westport,
Conn: Negro Universities Press, 1970. Details of the Berlin Conference and its
results.
- Gavin, R. J., and J. A. Betley. The Scramble for Africa: Documents on the Berlin
West African Conference and Related Subjects, 1884/1885. Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan
University Press, 1973. Primary sources.
- Lucas, Charles P. The partition & colonization of Africa. Oxford: The Clarendon
Press, 1922. Historical view of colonization, without the influence of WWII or
decolonization.
- Nardo, Don. The European Colonization of Africa. Greensboro, NC: Morgan
Reynolds Publications, 2010. Modern study of colonization in textbook format.
General African History
- Collins, Robert O. Africa: A Short History. Princeton, NJ: Markus Wiener
Publishers, 2005. Quick overview of African history in a college textbook format.
- Shillington, Kevin. History of Africa. 3rd ed. Oxford; New York: Macmillan
Education, 2012. Most widely used and highly regarded textbook on African history.
19th Century European Diplomacy
- Rich, Norman. Great Power Diplomacy, 1814-1914. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.
- Mowat, R. B. 1883-1941 (Robert Balmain). A History of European Diplomacy, 18151914. London: E. Arnold, 1923. Both of these are general overviews that touch on
the Berlin Conference and other key diplomatic activities of the time.
General Resources
The strategy PC game Victoria II gives an interactive, very in-depth look at the different
motivations and challenges of states during this period, with a particular focus on African
imperialism.
Most of these sources have a broad view of colonization, diplomacy, or African history.
Numerous other sources deal with imperialist activities in Africa regarding a specific
European country or African region, which may be of more interest to a delegate who
already knows the background material. Feel free to contact me for suggestions that may be
more specifically suited to your position.
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