What Enabled Western Armies to Colonize Africa and Asia During the 19th Century? Provide 3 Examples.
The colonisation of Africa was part of a global European procedure reaching all the continents of the globe. European colonisation and domination changed the earth dramatically. Historians argue that the rushed majestic conquest of the African continent by the European powers started with Male monarch Leopold Two of Kingdom of belgium when he involved European powers to gain recognition in Belgium. The Scramble for Africa took identify during the New Imperialism between 1881 and 1914. The focus of this lesson volition be on the causes and results of European colonisation of the African continent, with special focus on the Ashanti kingdom (colonised by the British as the Gold Coast, and today the independent African country of Ghana).
European colonisation of Africa in the late 19th century
Africa before European colonisation
Due to worldwide insufficiency of world noesis, the size and abilities of Africa every bit a continent was majorly undermined and oversimplified. Earlier colonisation, Africa was characterised by widespread flexibility in terms of movement, governance, and daily lifestyles. The continent consisted not of closed reproducing entities, equipped with unique unchanging cultures, but of more fluid units that would readily incorporate outsiders into the community with the status that they accustomed its customs, and where the sense of obligation and solidarity went beyond that of the nuclear family. Pre- colonial societies were highly varied, where they were either stateless, run past the state or run by kingdoms. The notion of communalism was accepted and practiced widely; country was held normally and could not be bought or sold, although other things, such as cattle, were owned individually. In those societies that were non stateless, the chiefs ran the daily diplomacy of the tribe together with ane or more councils. The colonisation of Africa through Europe brought about many forms of government that are still visible today. Before colonisation, however, at that place were many forms of regime in Africa, ranging from powerful empires to decentralised groups of pastoralists and hunters.
The employ of fe tools marks a significant turning indicate in African civilization. Iron tools enhanced weaponry, immune groups to manage and articulate dense and thick forests, turn fields for farming, and making everyday life more convenient. Considering the iron tools allowed Africans to flourish in their natural environment, they could alive in larger communities which led to the formation of kingdoms and states. With this creation came the formation of modern civilizations, common languages, conventionalities and value systems, fine art, religion, lifestyle and civilization. Another unique characteristic of pre- European Africa was the favouring of oral tradition within these societies. Stories were told and handed downwardly generations in exact form. This poses a threat to the survival of these stories because sure aspects could be forgotten or told in a different fashion. National borders were also not much of a concern before colonization. European countries fought over African countries mainly for their natural resource. Lines were drawn through African communities which had existed for many years, and these lines can presently be seen as national borders. "A brief history of European Colonisation in Africa"
Berlin Conference 1884
The Conference of Berlin and British 'New' Imperialism, also known as the "Congo briefing" began. In 1884 at the request of Portugal, German Chancellor Otto von Bismark chosen together the major western powers of the world to negotiate questions and end confusion over the control of Africa. The countries represented at the time included Republic of austria-Republic of hungary, Kingdom of belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italian republic, holland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway (unified from 1814-1905), Turkey, and the Usa. Of these fourteen nations, France, Frg, Great Britain, and Portugal were the major players in the conference, decision-making most of colonial Africa at the time. United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, France, Germany, Kingdom of belgium, Italy, Portugal, and Spain were competing for ability inside European power politics. One manner to demonstrate national pre-eminence was through the acquisition of territories around the globe, including Africa. Another reason for European involvement in Africa is the industrialization when major social problems grew in Europe: unemployment, poverty, homelessness, social displacement from rural areas, etc. These social problems developed partly considering non all people could be absorbed by the new capitalist industries. Europe saw the colonization of Africa as an opportunity to learn a surplus population, thus settler colonies were created. With this invasion, many European countries saw Africa as beingness available to their disposal. However, several disputes took place regarding which European country would colonise a specific African country. Thus, in 1884, Portugal proposed a conference in which xiv European countrieswould meet in Berlin regarding the sectionalization of Africa, without the presence of Africa.
The initial task of the conference was to agree that the Congo River and Niger River mouths and basins would exist considered neutral and open to merchandise. Despite its neutrality, part of the Kongo Basin became a personal Kingdom (private property) for Kingdom of belgium'due south Rex Leopold II and under his dominion, over one-half of the region's population died. At the time of the briefing, merely the littoral areas of Africa were colonized past the European powers. At the Berlin Conference the European colonial powers scrambled to gain control over the Interior of the Continent. The conference lasted until February 26, 1885 – a 3 month period where colonial powers haggled over geometric boundaries in the interior of the continent, disregarding the cultural and linguistic boundaries already established past the Native Indigenous African population. What ultimately resulted was a hodgepodge of geometric boundaries that divided Africa into fifty irregular countries.
"The Scramble for Africa and the Berlin Briefing"
Causes of colonisation
The reasons for African colonisation were mainly economic, political and religious. During this time of colonisation, an economic depression was occurring in Europe, and powerful countries such equally Germany, French republic, and Great Britain, were losing money. Africa seemed to exist out of harm's mode and had an affluence of raw materials from which Europe could make money from. Due to cheap labour of Africans, Europeans easily acquired products like oil, ivory, rubber, palm oil, woods, cotton wool and glue. These products became of greater significance due to the emergence of the Industrial Revolution. Africa'southward colonisation was also as a result of European rivalries, where Britain and France had beenin a dispute since the Hundred Year's State of war. These countries became involved in a race to acquire more territory on the African continent, simply this race was open to all European countries. Britain had had some success in halting the slave trade effectually the shores of Africa. But inland the story was different -- Muslim traders from north of the Sahara and on the East Coast still traded inland, and many local chiefs were reluctant to give up the apply of slaves.
During the nineteenth century barely a year went past without a European trek into Africa. The boom in exploration was triggered to a not bad extent past the creation of the African Association past wealthy Englishmen in 1788, and equally they travelled, they started to record details of markets, goods, and resource for the wealthy philanthropists who financed their trips. With the beginning of colonisation in Africa, morality became an increasing issue. The Europeans could non comprehend the existence of the Muslim Swahili merchandise which made them want to implement the 3 C'due south: Christianity, Commerce, and Civilisation. Outset, Europe experienced a Christian revival in the 19th century.
Missionaries began to focus on the large working form with the goal of bringing spiritual conservancy to the workers and their families. The bible was made available to workers. Due to their large successes, missionaries began to look beyond Europe. Missions were established all over Africa. Missionaries did not serve as straight agents of European imperialism, nonetheless they drew European governments deeper into Africa. In their efforts to preach Christianity, to bring western-style education to Africa and to ingrain monogamy in African societies, missionaries often felt threatened past warfare within Africa. Hence, missionaries called on European governments for protection and intervention. 2nd, for centuries, European explorers accept travelled throughout the African continent in their attempts to discover new things and to chart the African continent.
Trade would be well instantiated; the work of the Suez Canal Visitor at the north-eastern tip of Africa had been completed in 1869. Lastly, Livingstone believed that civilisation could be achieved through goodgovernment andeducation. The combination of these 3 elements, Livingstone believed, would terminate human suffering in Africa, and the ultimate level of civilization would exist achieved within the continent. .Christianity would therefore provide the moral principles that would guide Africans, while didactics and commerce would encourage Africans to produce their own appurtenances to trade with Europeans. For this to work a functioning and legitimate governing organisation was needed to ensure the ceremonious rights of the people.
Patterns of colonisation: which countries colonised which parts of Africa
By 1900 a significant part of Africa had been colonized by mainly seven European powers—Britain, France, Deutschland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Afterwards the conquest of African decentralized and centralized states, the European powers set about establishing colonial state systems. The colonial country was the machinery of authoritative domination established to facilitate constructive control and exploitation of the colonized societies. Colonial states were disciplinarian, bureaucratic systems, partly due to their origins in armed services conquest and the racist credo of the imperialist enterprise. The French directed their attention to the active economies of the Niger Delta, the Lagos Hinterland and the Gilded Coast.
Why European Countries were able to colonise Africa and so quickly
The European countries were able to colonise African countries quickly because there were rivalries between African leaders. These kings and chiefs were competing with each other to be the richest and most powerful within their tribes. During these rivalries, European leaders would take advantage of the situation and persuaded some leaders to be on their side to fight against other leaders. Natural disasters also played a big role in the rapid and piece of cake colonisation of Africa. In 1895, a serious drought reached many regions in Africa which was caused by a sudden decline in rainfall. Hardly whatsoever crops were produced, and the nutrient shortage which followed caused the death of many people and animals. The little crops that were produced were destroyed past a plague of locusts. In addition to this plague, the cattle plague bankrupt outduring the 1890's which killed cattle, sheep and goats. This led to fifty-fifty more deaths of animals and people, and due to their physical and mental weakness, they were unable to fight confronting European powers.
European powers could hands take control of any source of land by using strength and violence. They achieved this by using more than powerful weapons, and had the advantage of the newly invented machine gun called the Maxim gun which was invented in the 1880'southward. This gun could fire eleven bullets per second, and outdid the weapons that the African forces had. African armies did non manage to get hold of European weapons because it was non sold to them. Thus Africans were at a military disadvantage. An outbreak of new diseases made an advent during the belatedly 1890'sand the start 1 was a range of smallpox epidemics. The Europeans who were already in Africa had developed immunity to these diseases due to past experiences of these outbreaks in Europe. The indigenous African population had no immunity or resistance to these diseases and thus weakened the African population. A big number of the African population thus died out, or became too weak to fight back.
Results of colonization
The impact that colonisation had on Africa can be described equally both good and bad. In terms of European political practice in Africa, all colonising countries share like attributes. Colonial political systems were un-democratic; Law and Society, also equally Peace, was a principal objective of colonial governments; Colonial governments lacked capacity and Colonial governments practiced "divide and dominion." Firstly, colonial governments did non allow pop participation, and all political decisions were made by the small political elite with no or little input from the African population. Secondly, the African population was not satisfied with the way that Europeans imposed on their governing arrangement without whatsoever proper representation, thus the maintenance of peace nether the African population was made an important priority for the colonial government. Thirdly, seeing as most colonial governments were not rich, they did not fund the governing of their colonies fully. Although they were responsible for raising the coin for their ain colonies, they however lacked the incometo properly develop and maintain a successful governing system. This meant that colonial governments were not able to provide basic infrastructure, such as roads and communication networks, nor were they able to provide basic social services such as didactics, health care, and housing. Lastly, the principle of "divide and rule" meant that policies that intentionally weakened ethnic power networks and institutions were implemented.
Due tothe lack of revenue within the colonies, little attention was given to promoting social change or development. Although all the colonies did not experience the same extent of social alter, these colonies share the same characteristics in terms of social change. Firstly, colonial and political practices caused a large scale motion of people. In some areas, migrations were primarily from 1 rural area to another. In other places, the migration was from rural areas to urban areas. These movements resulted in dislocation of peoples that impacted guild and civilisation. Social and cultural beliefs and practices were challenged by these migrations. Long-held practices had to be adapted, and at times were completed abandoned, to fit the new colonial circumstances. Secondly, and partly due to the kickoff consequence, the dislocation of families as well occurred. Men mainly left the household to work in mines and on plantations, leaving their wives and children backside. Equally a outcome, women and adolescents were forced to take on new roles and to cope in absence of their husbands and fathers. Due to colonialism, the African family structure had been severely changed.
Prior to colonialism, the extended family unit construction (family that extends beyond the immediate family) was the norm in most African societies, but by the end of colonial era, the nuclear family unit (family consisting of a pair of adults/ parents and their children) was condign the norm in many African countries. Thirdly, urbanization emerged equally colonization was imposed. During colonialism, urbanization occurred adequately rapidly in many African colonies. A number of pre-colonial African societies had towns and small cities. Even so, even in these societies, most people were engaged in agronomics in rural villages or homesteads. Urban living resulted in changes in economic activities and occupation, and in changes in the mode people lived. These changes often challenged existing values, beliefs, and social practices. Fourthly, the religious behavior of Africans were adapted or inverse. A small percent of the African population regarded themselves as Christians, and today more than one-half of the African population is Christians. Colonial dominion provided an surround in which Christianity, in many forms, spread in many parts of Africa. While Islam was widespread in Africa prior to the coming of colonialism, information technology also benefited from colonialism. British and French colonial officials actively discouraged Christian mission work in Muslim areas.
Lastly, the public teaching system of African was also changed. The majority of colonial governments did niggling to support schools. Nearly formal schooling African colonies were a issue of the work of missionaries. Missionaries felt that pedagogy and schools were essential to their mission. Their primary concern was the conversion of people to Christianity. Missionaries believed that the ability of African peoples to read the Bible in their own language was important to the conversion process. However, most mission societies were not wealthy, and they could not support the number of schools that they really wanted. Consequently, with limited regime support, most African children did not become to school during the colonial era. In fact at the end of colonial dominion, no colony could state that more than half of their children finished uncomplicated school, and far fewer attended secondary school.
"Colonialism's impact on Africa"
Case Study: The Ashanti kingdom
The coast of West Africa earlier the arrival of Europeans
Westward Africans developed an all-encompassing cocky-contained trading system, based on skilled manufacture. From the 8th century Muslim traders, from Due north Africa and Arab countries, began to reach the region. Gradually, communities began to convert to Islam. By the stop of the 11th century some entire states, and influential individuals in others, were Muslim. At the aforementioned time, West African trade slowly expanded towards Arab republic of egypt and possibly India. Arabic texts mention that from the belatedly 8th century Republic of ghana was considered 'the land of gold'. Mali also possessed great wealth. In 1324-5, when Mansa Musa, its emperor, made a pilgrimage to Mecca, he took and so much gold with him that in Egypt, which he also visited, the value of the metallic was debased. Prior to the European voyages of exploration in the fifteenth century, African rulers and merchants had established trade links with the Mediterranean world, southwest asia, and the Indian Ocean region. Within the continent itself, local exchanges amid side by side peoples fit into a greater framework of long-range merchandise.
The Ashanti and their early on contact with European traders and explorers
The Ashanti kingdom, or Asante, dominated much of the present-twenty-four hour period state of Republic of ghana. Information technology was ruled by an indigenous group chosen the Akan, which in turn was composed of up to 38 subgroups, such as the Bekiai, Adansi, Juabin, Kokofu, Kumasi, Mampon, Nsuta, Nkuwanta, Dadussi, Daniassi, Ofinsu, and Adjitai. Gold Declension began encountering European traders in the mid-1400s, when the Portuguese began trading with coastal peoples. By the seventeenth century, many European trading giants including the British, Dutch and French began building fortifications along the coastline in gild to assert their positions. These interactions were to have a profound consequence on African coastal settlements and African institutions came nether considerable European influence very early on. West Africa had a long history of connection to trans-Saharan gold trade, and from the 15th century was drawn into trade with Europe, in gold and increasingly in slaves. The Ashanti kingdom had emerged from the mid- 17th century, benefitting from access both to rich agronomical resources and gold, much of the labour for production of which was provided by a domestic slave trade.
Many parts of West Africa was still unknown to the rest of the world, thus Past the belatedly 15th century and early 16th century many European nations like Portugal started to send the missionaries and explorers to investigate various parts of Africa and West Africa in particular. As early equally in the 19th century European powers like France, Federal republic of germany, and Great britain likewise sent number of missionaries, explorers, traders and philanthropists in West Africa. These groups were sent in Africa to investigate the needed knowledge about Africans, their history and culture, by and large knowledge about raw materials, visibility, potential areas and the nature of African population British traders had operated off what was to become known as the "Gilded Coast" with niggling direct intervention by British government.
When the Ashanti kingdom showed ambitions to expand its control southwards in negotiating treaties with African regime and protecting trading interests, the British invaded Ashanti in 1874 and burnt its capital. The bulk of European Explorers spent their time to investigate and to particular the interior and declension of West Africa to assistance European powers that were searching areas with potential materials as European countries were experiencing mushrooming of industries. Explores assisted the European merchant groups; penetration of west Africa interior in 18th century was existent a difficult and difficult but with the assistance of explorers, European merchant groups had advantage of trading in West Africa freely with assurance of security of themselves and their trading bolt.
The British and the colonisation of the Gold Coast
As Great britain increasingly colonised more and more African countries, the British had become the dominant power forth the coast, and they began annexing and laying claim to territory gradually. The expansion of the Asante kingdom towards the coast was the major cause of this, every bit the British began to fear that the Asante would come up to monopolise coastal merchandise in their place. The British placed the Governor of neighbouring Sierra Leone, which was already annexed, in accuse of British forts and settlements forth the coast. He formed an unfavourable stance of the Asante, and began the long process of attempting to bring them nether British command. Withal, disputes over jurisdiction of the surface area known equally Ashanti led to state of war between the British and the Asante, and in 1824, the Asante succeeded in killing the Governor too as 7 of his men. In retaliation, the British (with the help of tribes oppressed by the Asante, including the Fante and the Ga) beat the Asante back in 1826, and successfully ended their potency of littoral regions. The establishment of British police force and jurisdiction in the colony was a gradual process, but the 1844 Bail with the Fante is popularly considered to be its true beginning. This recognised the power of British officials and British common law in the Gilt Coast and over the Fante people. In 1850, a Governor was appointed to Gold Coast who was non also Governor of Sierra Leone, and this is how the colony of Gilt Coast was born. A supreme court was established in 1853, and led to British common law becoming enforced. Yet, all of this brought financial challenges, and saw the policy of making the colonies pay come in to strength in the Gold Declension for the showtime time.
The British fought against the Ashanti four times in the 19th century and suppressed a terminal uprising in 1900 earlier claiming the region as a colony. The first Anglo-Ashanti War began in 1823 after the Ashanti defeated a small British force under Sir Charles McCarthy and converted his skull into a drinking loving cup. It concluded with a collision after the British beat an Ashanti ground forces well-nigh the coast in 1826. Later two generations of relative peace, more violence occurred in 1863 when the Ashanti invaded the British "protectorate" along the coast in retaliation for the refusal of Fanti leaders to return a avoiding slave. The issue was another stand up-off, but the British took casualties and public opinion at abode started to view the Gold Coast every bit a quagmire. In 1873, the 2d Ashanti State of war began afterward the British took possession of the remaining Dutch trading posts along the coast, giving British firms a regional monopoly on the trade betwixt Africans and Europe. The Ashanti had long viewed the Dutch as allies, so they invaded the British protectorate forth the coast. A British regular army led by General Wolseley waged a successful campaign against the Ashanti that led to a brief occupation of Kumasi and a "treaty of protection" signed by the Ashantehene (leader) of Ashanti, ending the war in July 1874. This war was covered by a number of news correspondents (including H. K. Stanley) and the "victory" excited the imagination of the European public.
In 1894, the Tertiary Anglo-Ashanti State of war began following British press reports that a new Ashantehene named Prempeh committed acts of cruelty and barbarism. Strategically, the British used the war to insure their control over the gold fields before the French, who were advancing on all sides, could claim them. In 1896, the British regime formally annexed the territories of the Ashanti and the Fanti. In 1900, a final uprising took place when the British governor of Golden Coast (Hodgson) unilaterally attempted to depose the Ashantehene by seizing the symbol of his authority, the Golden Stool. The British were victorious and reoccupied Kumasi permanently. On September 26, 1901 the British created the Crown Colony of Gold Coast. The alter in the Golden Coast'due south status from "protectorate" to "crown colony" meant that relations with the inhabitants of the region were handled past the Colonial Part, rather than the Strange Office. That implied that the British no longer recognized the Ashanti or the Fanti equally having independent governments.
Results of colonisation of the Ashanti kingdom and Britain
In December 1895, Sir Francis Scott left Greatcoat Coast with an expedition strength. It arrived in Kumasi in January 1896. The Asantehene directed the Ashanti to non resist. Shortly thereafter, Governor William Maxwell arrived in Kumasi equally well. Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh was deposed and arrested. Britain annexed the territories of the Ashanti and the Fanti in 1896, and Ashanti leaders were sent into exile in the Seychelles. The Asante Union was dissolved. Robert Baden-Powell led the British in this campaign. The British formally declared the littoral regions to be the Gilded Declension colony. A British Resident was permanently placed in the city, and shortly after a British fort.
As a final measure out of resistance, the remaining Asante court not exiled to the Seychelles mounted an offensive against the British Residents at the Kumasi Fort. The resistance was led by Yaa Asantewaa, the Queen-Mother of Ejisu. From March 28 to late-September 1900, the Asante and British were engaged in what would go known as the State of war of the Golden Stool. On March 28, 1900 Governor Frederick Hodgson met with the chiefs at Kumasi and demanded that the Asante paw over the sacred Golden Stool to him. On April 25 the telegraph wires were cutting, and Kumasi was surrounded. Thirty British were dying per mean solar day in June. On June 23 three officers and 150 fabricated a sortie and managed to escape. Governor Hodgson reached Cape Coast on July 10. The British sent ane,400 troops from other parts of Africa, and the Asante'due south 9-month struggle for independence failed. In March 1901 Governor Matthew Nathan visited Kumasi, and he deported 16 Ashanti leaders and imprisoned 31 at Elmina. The people were disarmed, and only licensed hunters could carry guns. The British annexed the Asante confederacy as a Crown Colony and did not permit chiefs to rule in Kumasi until Prempeh became Kumasihene in 1926. In the cease, Asantewaa and other Ashanti leaders were also sent to Seychelles to join Prempeh I. In January 1902, Britain finally added Asante to its protectorates on the Gold Declension.
Asante was forcibly incorporated into the British Gold Declension colony in 1902, along with further territory to its firsthand due north which had not belonged to the kingdom itself. The afterward addition of British Togoland creates borders for the colony that are essentially those that be for modern Ghana. When the British defeated the Ashanti people, they nerveless all the gilt treasures of the area. In improver to this, the Ashanti people lost their independence. They did not receive whatever political rights in the Aureate Coast and ability was taken abroad from legitimate Ashanti leaders. People were forced off their state onto farms or factories which ultimately made the British richer. The British then spent coin on things that will improve their ability to remove wealth and natural resource from the Gold Coast. They built railroads and roads, only only to their own benefit in order for products to be shipped off to Europe.
Source: https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/grade-8-term-3-scramble-africa-late-19th-century
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