Africa in The Twentieth Century
Colonisation and Colonialism
| GRADE LEVEL | THEME | TOPIC | DURATION |
| 12 | WORLD HISTORY | AFRICA IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY | x LESSONS |
Africa in The Twentieth Century |
Background
Colonial Rule in Africa Note that Britain emerged with the highest number of colonies, expanding to rule over a world-wide empire. Britain desired a Cape-to-Cairo possession of African colonies and gained control of Egypt, Sudan (Anglo-Egyptian Sudan), Uganda, Kenya (British East Africa), South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana (Rhodesia). The British also controlled Nigeria and Ghana (Gold Coast). France took much of western Africa, from Mauritania to Chad (French West Africa) and Gabon and the Republic of Congo (French Equatorial Africa), while Belguim's King Leopold ll controlled the Democratic Republic of Congo (Belgian Congo). Portugal took Mozambique in the east and Angola in the west. Italy's holdings were Somalia (Italian Somaliland) and a portion of Ethiopia. Germany took Namibia (German Southwest Africa) and Tanzania (German East Africa). Spain claimed the smallest territory, namely Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni ). By 1900 almost the entire African continent had been taken over by European countries. Only Liberia and Ethiopia retained their independence. Liberia was not colonised because she was important for supplying the slave trade for the United States of America. Ethiopia (Abyssinia as it was formerly known) resisted the foreign invasion until 1935 when Benito Mussolini of Italy invaded the country. By 1901 the colonisers had redrawn the map and borders within Africa. In less than twenty years, African life was changed dramatically, mostly for the worst, with brutality and oppressive foreign rule the order of the day. Various factors contributed to the decolonisation of Africa but the most significant of these was the response from Africans themselves, namely the rise of African nationalism and a struggle for self-determination. Colonisation refers to the process of capture of one country or territory by another to be held under political and economic control of the coloniser. Colonialism refers to the practice of colonisation. The degree of direct authority over the colonised territory varied. In general colonialism involved suppression and exploitation of the local people and natural resources for the purpose of profit making and enrichment of the coloniser. In many colonies the experience of colonialism was one of outright brutality. In others it was about denial of the right to self-determination and governance. With colonisation, African culture, traditions and way of life came under threat because they were seen as inferior to those of Europe. The influence of Islam, Christianity and European civilisation changed the character of the continent forever. The word colony not only refers to the captured or colonised territory but also describes the settlement made up of people from the ‘motherland' or colonial state. The inhabitants in the colony were nationals or citizens of the colonial ruler. South Africa was colonised by Great Britain. This colonial legacy has had a big influence in directing the course of the country's history. The impact of colonialism on the continent continues to be seen by most political commentators as one of the primary reasons for Africa's troubles. Why was Africa colonised? Muslims from the Arab countries were the very first people from outside the continent to move into Africa. First arriving in the northern parts of Africa, they brought their Islamic way of life, traditions, beliefs and cultural practices with them. The relationship forged between the Arabs and the Africans was mainly about trade and was usually friendly. The Arab influence can be seen in modern day Ethiopia and Nigeria. It was only much later that European countries colonised Africa. The main motive for this was economic, driven largely by the Industrial Revolution that reached its height in the 1800s. As industrialisation progressed, European countries needed raw materials for their manufacturing enterprises and customer markets for their products. There had already been some trade with Africa for raw materials prior to colonisation and to meet the needs of early industrialisation. This trade was usually unfair as Africans often received items as payment that were far below the worth of the materials they supplied. In this early period there was also the horrific slave trade. Slaves were often captured and sold to Europeans who took whole shiploads of people in this way. It was this early trading with Europeans that gave way to the ‘scramble for Africa'. Apart from the expansion of power, motives for colonisation were economic as well as social. Economic motives were the need for a cheap and steady supply of raw materials for European industrial development. Intensified productivity and industrial expansion required not just access to resources but also control and management of areas that were rich in natural resources. In this way greater profits could be made. Colonies also provided a customer base for the European producers. Social motives included the desire to spread Christianity and the idea that Africans needed and could benefit from European ‘civilisation'. Missionaries wanted to come to Africa to convert people to Christianity. They started off on the coast, but soon moved inland. Missionaries were sometimes afraid of going into the interior where their governments had no control, but generally missionary activities in Africa led to the increase of the land area over which European governments had control. Missionaries established relationships with the local communities through which their governments could pursue ambitions for greater domination. Social motives also emerged out of the growing European movement against slavery. Some Europeans believed that if they had greater influence in Africa, then they could stop the slave trade. If the African country ‘belonged' to a European power, colonial rulers would prefer to keep local inhabitants for labour rather than lose them to an economic rival. They were to some extent correct, as in the 1830s the British stopped slavery in all their colonies across the world.
African slaves being shipped to Europe
Learning outcomes: The learner will be expected to have an informed understanding of key concepts for analysing the past. They will be expected to understand and explain dynamics of change in the context of power relations operating in societies. They will also be expected to compare and contrasts points and views/perspectives of the past and draw their own conclusions based on evidence.
Source
A
Learning outcome: Learners will be expected to synthesise information about the past to develop, sustain and defend an independent line of historical argument. They will be expected to communicate and present information reliably and accurately in writing and verbally.
Source
B
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