The issues of the European initial scramble of Africa still peaks historians interest today. It is understood that the initial scramble for Africa was a tremendous surge of European imperialism. From the mid-1800s to the early 1900s European powers had rule over Africa. European powers divided Africa up amongst each other without consent of the African citizens and without any knowledge of the continent they took over. “Many of the early explorers of Africa were geographers and scientists who were beckoned by the mysteries and exotic qualities of this new land”(pg.101, Khapoya). Europeans realized how many riches Africa had, which peaked their interest and caused them to colonize the continent. The purpose of colonialism is to extend one nation’s
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Imperialism in Africa was not just about economic control, but about gaining control over the economy away from the local African rulers. The early settlers did not care if they were improving or dismantling their economy they just cared about having control over it and everything being in their discretion. For example, “the colonial authorities shifted labor from food production and attempted to create a surplus of a labor-intensive nonfood cash crop, cotton”(pg.164, Philips). Instead of it creating a surplus of crops it caused an inadequate supply of food and led to malnutrition in the people of the country. The Europeans were able to get cheap labor and huge surpluses out of them. They seized the Africans land and made the Africans work on what used to be their land only to pay the taxes and to barely survive. They were able to raise money to pay these taxes by working on European farms, in the mines, or growing cash crops. The taxes were implemented as a way to “raise revenue to pay for the cost of running a government in the colonies and also for rudimentary services for the small settler communities”(pg. 128, Khapoya). The Europeans basically forced them to do labor to help the Europeans gain more investments to help their own selfish needs, such as exportation of cash
Imperialism in Africa was not just about economic control, but about gaining control over the economy away from the local African rulers. The early settlers did not care if they were improving or dismantling their economy they just cared about having control over it and everything being in their discretion. For example, “the colonial authorities shifted labor from food production and attempted to create a surplus of a labor-intensive nonfood cash crop, cotton”(pg.164, Philips). Instead of it creating a surplus of crops it caused an inadequate supply of food and led to malnutrition in the people of the country. The Europeans were able to get cheap labor and huge surpluses out of them. They seized the Africans land and made the Africans work on what used to be their land only to pay the taxes and to barely survive. They were able to raise money to pay these taxes by working on European farms, in the mines, or growing cash crops. The taxes were implemented as a way to “raise revenue to pay for the cost of running a government in the colonies and also for rudimentary services for the small settler communities”(pg. 128, Khapoya). The Europeans basically forced them to do labor to help the Europeans gain more investments to help their own selfish needs, such as exportation of cash