Imperialism In Africa Essay

Improved Essays
During the 1870s and 1900’s, Africa faced European’s act of imperialist invasion, diplomatic pressures, invasions by the navy and militia, and eventually Africa encountered conquest and colonization. African’s did not like this and different cities and societies within Africa tried various forms of protection against the attempt to colonize their countries. Imperialism did not only occur in Africa but it also occurred in China and India. By looking at these documents and my knowledge I can conclude that the two main motivations underlying new imperialism in Africa were, wealth, power,

Firstly, the wealth. Wealth was a key reason why imperialism started because many countries wanted to become more rich. Sine countries wanted to become more
…show more content…
European countries wanted to be a powerful country and wanted to be a country that everybody wanted to live in because they had so much power. Imperialism helped to gain this power. When imperialism took place European countries did not just colonize one small country in Africa but they colonized many. In document 2 it shows a picture of the countries that colonized countries in Africa and which ones had the most land and power. The picture shows that France colonized most of Africa, followed by Great Britain, Germany, and others. Because France colonized most of Africa does not mean that they were they most powerful. Lastly, document 6 is the White Man 's Burden poem which is all about how the whites wanted to uplift the blacks. The way that these European countries did that was by utilizing their power. They used their power by demanding for what they wanted not taking no as answer. All of these countries had a lot of land which they were able to produce and exploit materials. Being able to colonize small countries already shows that a country is powerful enough because it proves that they were able to go in and take what they wanted. These examples show that power was a major motivation for imperialism in Africa because without the idea of ruling and taking over, European countries might have not gotten the amount of power they have today, and wouldn 't be able to expand their country making them their country a place that little to no one knows about and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    As political and industrial revolution scoured across Europe in the 19th century, governments and businesses began to take a particular interest in a continent of Africa. Due to the challenges it presented in previous centuries, it was not susceptible to imperial conquest similar to the Western Hemisphere in the 16th century. With the outset of the Industrial Revolution, along with its subsequent aspiration for raw materials and potential markets, a new set of motivations helped shape the dispute whether or not to make a presence in Africa. From economic gain, to building a sense of national honor and pride, European powers consumed the continent below them with a mentality that only the “survival of the fittest” being able to prevail.…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Africa, but in the end the main reason for imperialism in Africa was economic interest due to the fact that Africa had vast resources. The african countries brought lots of resources and were easily obtained. Africa had many useful resources such as rubber, ivory, cotton, and coal. Rubber was used for tires, electrical…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The feeling of superiority allowed countries to believe that they were more worthy of expansion than others and that their culture was meant to be spread. Technology created during the Industrial Revolution granted Europe dominance over African countries, allowing the latter to be defeated quickly by the former. The incentive of new markets in colonies and the possibility for prospering economies drove European countries to compete against each other for more African land. All of these factors helped create worldwide empires and establish countries who are to this day considered to be the superpowers of the modern…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imperialism builds an empire. Europe being a powerful nation expands onto less powerful nations to benefit their own colonial expansion. Looking at The Tools of Empire by Headrick and King Leopold’s Ghost by Hochschild; both are very informative of the interest about European imperialism in the nineteenth century, but are written very differently. Hochschild focuses on people in his text. There are very important characters in the text,such as Stanley, Leopold, William Sheppard, Morel, and etc who all play a crucial role in imperialism.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Imperialism DBQ Essay In the 19th and 20th centuries Europe (the stronger nation) dominated Africa (the weaker nation) economically,politically,culturally, and militarily. It all started in 1880 when European started slowly to control countries in Africa then it began to go faster, starting the scramble for Africa. The European brought imperialism in the 19-20th centuries to Africa to gain power,resources,and other things that could profit them.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Imperialism is the seizure of a country or territory by a stronger country. The Europeans had tried to seize different parts of the world to become a better nation. Africa was the most wanted nation. It had all the raw materials that Europe had wanted. At first, the Europeans were unable to enter Africa because of disease, but later there were Europeans who were able to penetrate Africa.…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    There was a lot going on in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with the Industrial Revolution starting and exploration around the world was beginning, more and more powerful people were fighting over who gets what land and this created competition, which then brought on imperialism in africa because that land hadn’t been “claimed” yet. Many people wonder what the main driving force or reasons for imperialism in Africa, imperialism is an action by a strong nation to take control of another country. The main three reasons for imperialism beginning in Africa, are competition, the industrial revolution and exploration. Industrial Revolution was just beginning in Europe and it was spreading, this was a huge part of imperialism in Africa. In document C it shows a chart and in this chart there is the new things that were being invented such as, faster forms of transportation, treatment for new tropical diseases, communication over long distances, a quicker and cheaper method of manufacturing, and new weapons to make their soldiers even stronger.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dbq New Imperialism

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages

    New Imperialism: Causes During the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a new wave of imperialism caused the European colonization of countries all around the world. This newly developed form of imperialism was due to economic, political, and social forces. Industrialization and the need for new materials influenced colonization, as well as the sense of nationalism among Europeans. The belief that one race is superior to the rest was also a factor in imperialism.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The economic reason that led to the imperialism was the need to expand their emporium. Except not to just expand their market but to expand it globally. The reason behind that was because they couldn’t sell it domestically so they sold their goods all around the world. Another reason why was because people gained more profit in foreign investments. Economic reasons and need for cheap labor and a constant supply of raw materials such as “coffee, tea, tobacco, sugar, chocolate, oils, and rubber” (Tusan, lecture, October 18, 2017) resulted in the colonization of parts of the world so their economy can be efficient.…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When the major colonial powers (mainly Great Britain and France) looked at Africa, they did not see a myriad of interesting culture and peoples, but an abundance of resources. They saw extra land and work that was theirs for the taking. The weaponry of the African tribes were no match for the British and French armies. Imperialism, defined as the policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force, ran rampant throughout Europe, and caused what came to be known as the “race for Africa”. These powers did not stop for even a minute to think about what damage they might have been inflicting upon these people.…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Due to the Industrial Revolution, Europe became modernized and had a lot of advanced technology. This allowed them to conquer and imperialize lots of land, including Africa and China. The main reason why Africa and China fell so fast to European Imperialism was because both of them weren’t modernized and Europe had far more superior technology and weapons. This made it really easy for Europe to come in and easily take over China and Africa. Therefore, imperialism started as a result of the Industrial Revolution and there are many similarities and differences in the way China and Africa was imperialized and the influence it had on the two.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    European Imperialism and Africa During the Age of Industry The Background of the New Imperialism 1790-1880 Algeria and Cape Colony were controlled by the Europeans Rivalry for new markets Economic and military powers were shifting from europe others such as germany and America Europe went into a state of depression from 1873-1896 The long depression in europe helped new imperialism in the westerners that were looking for raw materials and new markets Profits were a lot higher than in their countries back home Strategic issues Britain was very interested in gaining control of Egypt to assure an easy route from east to west Germany was very close to overthrowing the British Portugal created an alliance with britain in order to protect…

    • 1624 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Between the years of 1500 and 1800 European nations traded for slaves, gold and ivory within the west coast of Africa. Malaria was a deadly disease that was contagious for that reason europeans were vulnerable to this diseases the west coast of Africa from the Senegal River to Angola became known as “The White Man's Burden”. What was the country's power and influence in Africa? The reason why the country's power and influence in Africa was the Partition of Africa, Technology, Imperialism and exports. Partition of Africa was one of the many reasons for imperialism in Africa.…

    • 174 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Brilliant Essays

    Negative Effects Of Imperialism In Africa

    • 1743 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 7 Works Cited

    Politically, European imperialism created tremendous conflict among African people, expanded Europe’s colonial boundaries by carving up Africa, and attempted to restructure society, only to leave Africa’s political structure weak and corrupt. Economically, European imperialism destructed Africa’s self sufficiency and increased dependance on colonial powers; strengthened Europe’s own economy, therefore further weakening Africa’s economy; and exploited many raw materials within Africa. Culturally, European imperialism uprooted Africa’s spiritual and traditional values, exploited the people of Africa, and prompted colonial racism. Works Cited Barnes, Andrew. “Economic Parasitism: European Rule In West Africa, 1880-1960.”…

    • 1743 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 7 Works Cited
    Brilliant Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Causes Of New Imperialism

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages

    “None of the colonial undertakings was motivated by the quest for capitalist profits; they all originated in political ambitions ... the nation’s will to power ... glory or national greatness” (Document 3). Every country wanted more power and that’s why imperialism happened. Or at least that’s why most imperialism happened. Economic and social forces had an effect, but it was mostly political forces. Every natio wanted power, glory, and national greatness.…

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays