To What Extent was the European ‘Scramble for Africa’...

The ‘scramble for Africa’ was a phenomenon in the world between the years 1880-1914. The ‘dark continent’ was relatively untouched by Europeans up until this point, with few ports of control on the coasts in the west, which were remnants of the slave trade, and in the south, Britain held the Cape, taken from the Dutch during the French Revolutionary Wars. So, during a period of 30 years, it came to pass that almost the whole of Africa was taken by Europeans. (Except Liberia a colony for freed American slaves, and Abyssinia managed to hold out against Italian aggression). It will be my objective in this essay to analyse the economic factors which resulted in the almost complete colonisation and takeover of Africa, and also to determine to†¦show more content†¦Thereafter thousands of British immigrated to South Africa to work in or control the mining industry. It could be said that the ‘history of twentieth-century southern Africa is to a very l arge extent dominated by the history of mining’ which to a certain extent is true. Most of the imperial expansion in South Africa at first glance does appear to have economic reasons. This can be further seen with Cecil Rhodes when he extended British influence to the northern reaches of South Africa in search for a second rand in which his whole expedition looks to be like conquistadores in search of land and gold . In 1910 the Transvaal republic was annexed by Britain, while economic reasons seem reasonable at first it can be argued that ‘political control of the Transvaal was not sought in order to control the gold-mines nor secure access to the supply of gold’ , that the British wanted to unify the region as part of the British Empire. Originally however, the importance of South Africa to the British was to protect the sea route to India, which was still vital, even after the Suez Canal was built, because the British were sure that they could defend the Cape with their naval strength, but were not so sure about the defence of the Suez if needed. Gallagher and Robinson assert that ‘Great Britain was in South Africa primarily to safeguard the routes to the east’ . However, this is still an economic factor. That Britain wanted to protect trade and strategy in the east, and whileShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Economics And Finance On Influencing Britain s Relationship With Its African Empire1917 Words   |  8 Pagessignificance of economics and finance in influencing Britain’s relationship with its African empire in the period c1870-c1981 Between 1870 to 1981, economic factors occurred throughout the 111 years. For a clearer explanation, Africa is divided into North, East, West and South, this enables us to analyse what the British Empire done in certain areas of Africa. Events within this period can be divided into three time periods, these are: 1870-1902 Expansion – this is mainly about the Scramble for Africa and InformalRead MoreChina in Africa Essay20116 Words   |  81 Pagesnews from the Nordic Africa Institute from the Nordic Africa Institute numBer 3 novemBer 2007 from the contents china and Africa Fantu Cheru theme: AfricAn Agriculture Agriculture and the World Bank Atakilte Beyene Property rights Kjell Havnevik Tor A. Benjaminsen Espen Sjaastad inequality and climate change contents to our reAders AfricAn Agriculture 1 3 november 2007 Carin Norberg African agriculture and the World Bank: development or impoverishment? AtakilteRead MoreThe End Of World War II And Creation Of The United Nations4715 Words   |  19 Pagesthrough socio-economic decline to expand their economy, joined forces to propagate the global economic growth and strength. It further describes the beneficial relationship of the US and China to international society by their constructive roles and responsibilities. The essay also highlights the different ways in which these two robust economies in respect to their dual agreement have influenced global trades and finance, investment, African development, Asian and American economic expansion. ThisRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesthe Contributors †¢ 343 _ IN TR OD UC TIO N Michael Adas B y any of the customary measures we deploy to demarcate historical epochs, the twentieth century does not appear to be a very coherent unit. The beginnings and ends of what we choose to call centuries are almost invariably years of little significance. But there is little agreement over when the twentieth century c.e. arrived, and there were several points both before the year 2000 (the collapse of the Soviet UnionRead MoreAbolition of Universal Banking in Nigeria - Implication for Nigerian Banks10849 Words   |  44 PagesBASEL III AND ABOLITION OF UNIVERSAL BANKING MODEL – IMPLICATION FOR NIGERIAN BANKS Introduction: In the aftermath of the economic recession which pulled down many global banks and exposed multiple weaknesses in regulation and banking structures, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision agreed to new rules on the minimum level (capital ratio) and composite structure of Banks capital on the 12th of September, 2010. Broadly speaking, the new rules which are widely referred to as Basel III (and areRead MoreStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 PagesStrategic Marketing Management Dedication This book is dedicated to the authors’ wives – Gillian and Rosie – and to Ben Gilligan for their support while it was being written. Acknowledgements Our thanks go to Janice Nunn for all the effort that she put in to the preparation of the manuscript. Strategic Marketing Management Planning, implementation and control Third edition Richard M.S. Wilson Emeritus Professor of Business Administration The Business School Loughborough University Read MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesthe illustrations and the short case examples at the end of each chapter (in both versions of the book) this increases the reader’s and tutor’s choice. For example, when deciding on material for Chapter 2, the case example, Global Forces and the European Brewing Industry, tests a reader’s understanding of the main issues inï ¬â€šuencing the competitive position of a number of organisations in the same industry with a relatively short case. For a case that permits a more comprehensive industry analysisRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 PagesContemporary Management, Fourth Edition Jones−George Driving Shareholder Value Morin−Jarrell Leadership, Fifth Edition Hughes−Ginnett−Curphy The Art of M A: Merger/Acquisitions/Buyout Guide, Third Edition Reed−Lajoux and others . . . This book was printed on recycled paper. Management http://www.mhhe.com/primis/online/ Copyright  ©2005 by The McGraw−Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act ofRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 PagesSENIOR MEDIA EDITOR George Hoffman Lise Johnson Carissa Doshi Dorothy Sinclair Matt Winslow Amy Scholz Carly DeCandia Alana Filipovich Jeof Vita Arthur Medina Allison Morris This book was set in 10/12 New Caledonia by Aptara ®, Inc. and printed and bound by Courier/Westford. The cover was printed by Courier/Westford. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright  © 2009, 2006, 2004, 2001, 1998, 1995, 1992, 1989, 1986, 1981, 1976 John Wiley Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. NoRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesUniversity of Oregon Executive MBA program. He has been a member of the Portland, Oregon, chapter of the Project Management Institute since 1984. In 1995 he worked as a Fulbright scholar with faculty at the Krakow Academy of Economics on modernizing Polish business education. In 2005 he was a visiting professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. He received a B.A. in psychology from Claremont McKenna College and a Ph.D. in management from State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a certified