Berlin Conference
Who’s this? 
The Rhodes Colossus is an iconic editorial
cartoon of the Scramble for Africa period,
depicting British colonialist Cecil Rhodes as a
giant standing over the continent.
The cartoon was drawn by Edward Linley
Sambourne, and first appeared
in Punch magazine in 1892. It was widely
reprinted in its time, and has since become a
standard illustration in history texts.
The cartoon was published in the 10 December
1892 edition of Punch, appearing beside a
recent excerpt from The Times about a Rhodes
plan to extend an electrical telegraph line (and
railway) from Cape Town to Cairo.
The British wanted to link
their possessions
in Southern Africa with
their territories in East
Africa (modern Kenya),
and these two areas with
the Nile basin. The Sudan
was the key to the
fulfilment of these
ambitions, especially
since Egypt was already
under British control. This
'red line' (Cape-Cairo
railway) through Africa
was made most famous by
the British and South
African political
force Cecil Rhodes, who
wanted Africa "painted
[British] Red".
Fashoda Crisis between Britain and France. War was averted but tensions did run high at times.
Great Britain declares Egypt a protectorate
Socialists
accepted
Hobson’s link
of capitalism
with
imperialism.
Claimed that
businessmen and
bankers unduly
influenced
governmental
imperialist
policies.
J.A.
HobsonImperialism
(1902)
Stated that
imperialist powers
needed colonies in
order to provide
new markets for
domestic goods.
Believed that if
European governments
forced businesses to
raise wages for
workers, this would
result in increased
consumption of goods
and less of a need for
new markets abroad.