The Berlin Conference
Presentation Part I
Some important Facts…
• It was held in 1884~1885 in Berlin.
• The United States did not take part in
this conference.
• Europe had begun to take an interest in
Africa from the 1880s.
• In the meeting, they decided on which
areas would go to which countries of
Europe.
Background Information…
• King Leopold II of Belgium convinced
France and Germany that this was the
best for all three countries.
• This conference controlled the trade
and colonization in Africa.
• The General Act of the Berlin
Conference is a “formalization” of the
scramble for Africa.
The General Act…
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The “Free State of the Congo” was officially made private
property of the Congo Society.
The 14 signatory powers would have free trade throughout the
Congo basin as well as Lake Niassa and east of this in an
area south of 5° N.
The Niger and Congo Rivers were made free for ship traffic.
An international prohibition of the slave trade was signed.
A Principle of Affectivity was introduced to stop powers
setting up colonies in name only.
Any fresh act of taking possession of any portion of the
African coast would have to be notified by the power taking
possession, or assuming a protectorate, to the other
signatory powers.
Africa was divided between the main powers of Europe
Social Darwinism
Presentation Part II
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution…
Darwin’s theory was based on the
principle that all organisms change over
time, with the organisms which have the
most useful traits survive and reproduce.
To reword this, it can be seen as
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!
Examples of Social Darwinism…
Adolf Hitler:
-Thought that Germans were the “fittest”
people on the planet, so thought that
they should be the only ones allowed to
live. This again, results to the idea of
“survival of the fittest”.