Imperialism in Africa
&
The Slave Trade
Unit Two:
Chapter Three
Imperialism in Africa
• Imperialism
– The domination by one country of the
political, social, economic, and/or cultural life
of another country
Imperialism in Africa
• The Age of Imperialism is broken into two
periods:
– Old Imperialism: Time between 1500 and
1800, when European nations looked to gain
territory on the coast of Africa.
• European power was limited
Imperialism in Africa
• New Imperialism: Time between 1870 and
1914, focused mainly in Africa.
– European nations had become stronger due
to the Industrial Revolution
Imperialism in Africa
• The Old Imperialism in Africa
– Began in the 1400s
• The Portuguese explored the coasts of Africa
• They were unable to push into the African interior
– Mid-1600s
• The Dutch arrived in Southwest Africa, and
established Cape Town
• These Dutch were known as “Boers”
• The Boers enslaved many native Africans
Most of the European
Controlled lands are
Located on the coastal
Areas of Africa
Imperialism in Africa
• Triangular Trade and Slavery
– Causes of the Slave Trade
• Europeans viewed African slaves as the most
valuable African trade goods in the 1500s
• Europeans began buying large numbers of
Africans to satisfy the labor shortage on American
plantations
Slaved being transported from Africa in the 1800s
Imperialism in Africa
• Triangular Trade
– The slave trade grew into a valuable business
– The “Triangular Trade” involved Europe,
Africa, and the Americas
• The sea routes formed a triangle
The Triangular Trade between Africa, Europe, and the Americas
Imperialism in Africa
• The Slave Trade
– Slavery was a complete disregard for Human
Rights
• Enslaved people lost their freedom
• Enslaved people could be bought and sold
• Enslaved people endured disease, overcrowding,
and terrible mistreatment in the Middle Passage
Example of the brutal mistreatment faced
By the millions of Africans during the time
Of the slave trade
Imperialism in Africa
• The Slave Trade
– The Middle Passage
• The voyage from Africa to the Americas
• Millions of Africans died on the way from disease,
mistreatment, or suicide
Above, a blueprint for a slave trip, and the
Placement slaves throughout the ship.
Right, a picture depicting African conditions
On the slave ships
Imperialism in Africa
• Effects of the Slave Trade
– When the slave trade ended in the 1800s,
almost 11 million Africans were enslaved
– Some African societies and small states
completely disappeared forever
Imperialism in Africa
• Causes of New Imperialism
– Nationalism: Promotes the idea of national
superiority
• Imperialists felt they had the right to take control of
countries they viewed as weaker
European nations carving up the world -- Imperialism
Imperialism in Africa
• Causes of New Imperialism
– Social Darwinism
• Applied Charles Darwin’s theory of survival of the
fittest to competition between nations
• It was natural for stronger nations to dominate
weaker ones
Imperialism in Africa
• Causes of New Imperialism
– Military Power
• A nation with many colonies had power and
security
• Colonies were important as bases for resupply of
ships
Imperialism in Africa
• Causes of New Imperialism
– Economic Motives
• Imperialists needed raw materials to supply their
factories
• Imperialists needed foreign markets to sell their
products
Imperialism in Africa
• Causes of New Imperialism
– White Man’s Burden
• Poem by Rudyard Kipling
• Expressed the idea that white imperialists had a
moral duty to educate people in nations they
considered to be weaker
• Missionaries spread western ideas, customs, and
religions to people in Africa
Imperialism in Africa
• The Scramble for Africa
– Very little was known about the interior of
Africa before 1870
• Europeans referred to Africa as the “Dark
Continent”
Imperialism in Africa
• The Scramble for Africa
– 1870s, King Leopold of Belgium sent
missionaries to the center of Africa, the
Congo
– The presence of Belgium in the Congo set off
a scramble among other European nations to
establish a presence in Africa
King Leopold of Belgium, began
The Scramble for Africa
The Belgian Congo – The first area in the interior of Africa controlled by Europeans
Imperialism in Africa
• The Scramble for Africa
– The Berlin Conference 1884
• Goal: For Europeans to meet to avoid conflict and
set up rules for colonizing Africa
• Actions Taken: Divided Africa with little regard for
the people who lived there
• Effects: Most of the continent of Africa comes
under control of Europeans
European nations meeting at the Berlin Conference, no African leaders were
invited
Imperialism in Africa
• Battles in Africa
– Boer War
• Background: Cecil Rhodes became Prime
Minister of the Cape Colony (South Africa)
• Under Rhodes leadership, Britain began to extend
its control of southern Africa
Cecil Rhodes expands
Britain's control over the
African continent
Imperialism in Africa
• Battles in Africa
– Late 1800s: Britain annexed (Took over) the
areas under control of the Boers
• The Boers resisted British control, and the Boer
War began
Imperialism in Africa
• Battles in Africa
– The Boer War
• Time: 1899-1902
• Between: British and Dutch
• Outcome: Britain wins
– Establish the Union of South Africa in 1910
Pictures of Boer military men during
The Boer War
Imperialism in Africa
• Effects of Imperialism
– Large numbers of Africans came under
foreign rule
– Economies became dependent on
industrialized powers
– Western culture spread to new regions
– Traditional societies were destroyed