What did Europeans want?
Berlin Conference 1884-85
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Colonize Africa (by Europeans)
without war
Formally end slavery and Islamic
dominance
Establish Free Trade between
colonies in Central Africa
Representatives from:
Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark,
France, the German Empire, Italy,
Netherlands, Ottoman Empire, Portugal,
Russian Empire, Spain, Sweden-Norway,
United Kingdom, United States
• NO African countries/peoples
participated
The problem of “Superimposed Boundaries”
Tribal-Ethnic differences
The problem of “Superimposed Boundaries”
Colonial Africa
Landlocked countries
Independent Africa
Rwanda - 1994
HUTUs vs TUTSIs - 800,000 dead
Problems with
African Unity?
✓ National/Tribal
differences
✓ No ‘HAVE’ countries
✓ Outside world
influences are
interested in their OWN
goals/not Africa’s goals
Negative Aspects of European Colonialism in
Africa
• Borders created without African input (superimposed boundaries) – no concern for
native tribes or ethnic groups
✓ Left many countries landlocked (Chad, Mali, Swaziland, Lesotho, Niger, Botswana,
Uganda, Rwanda,etc)
✓ Some ethnic groups separated into different countries
✓ Some ethnic groups forced to live together in same country
• Loss of native African culture
• Natural resources exploited and taken out of the country to benefit Europe, not
Africa
• Turn African countries into “One Commodity Countries”
• Native peoples couldn’t participate in government/economics/education/medicine
• White/European “Superiority” enforced – racism spreads
• Infrastructure only developed to support the COLONIZER, not the individual colonies
Positive Aspects of European Colonialism in Africa
Ended slave trade
Made Africans aware of the outside world
Modernized culture/industry
Developed infrastructure (roads/schools/hospitals/industrial complexes)
Developed markets for African goods
Africans who COULD get educated in European universities often return
to help their native countries
• Set patterns for modern African governments/economies
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