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Introduction
Imperialism ism is referred to as the process through which superior regions exercise power over other less superior regions. Imperialism can be either complete or partial; in partial colonialism, the superior nation only controls a few aspects of the other country, but in whole imperialism, the country has total power over the other. Imperialism was widespread towards the end of the 19th century due to the increased industrial revolution in Europe. During this period, some of the affected areas include; Asia, Africa, and South America. Colonization of a given region is subject to varying factors that predominantly comprise political, economic, and social factors. It is critical to focus on the various factors that contributed to the colonization of Africa by the different European nations.
Economic Factors
Search for Raw Materials
During the 19th century, Europe was developing rapidly due to the industrial revolution. Therefore, the revolution created many opportunities for European countries to seek expansion in other underdeveloped countries, thus leading to imperialism. Some of these opportunities included; the search for raw materials; due to increased industrialization, many industries and processing companies were established in Europe. Nonetheless, these countries lacked adequate raw materials to satisfy their industries adequately. As such, these countries sought more and cheaper raw materials from other parts of the world. More so, since most European nations were competing to be the most developed, these countries could barely rely on each other, and most of this resulted in sourcing their raw materials from other regions. Most of these materials were found in Africa, so to guard the sources of their raw materials, the respective European countries established settlements which consequently resulted in the colonization of Africa.
Search for Cheap Labor
The industrial revolution created a high demand for manual labor in Europe, which was abundant. Nevertheless, the readily available manual labor was expensive, reducing the profits many company owners earned. Therefore, to maximize their profit, the company owners preferred to seek cheaper labor from Africa because the slave trade had been abolished at the time. Thus, more Africans were available for hire. Correspondingly, this led to the colonization of Africa since most entrepreneurs preferred establishing their industries in Africa as it was cheaper and labor was readily available
Search for Market
The progress of industrialization led to the establishment of more companies all over Europe. However, some companies produced the same commodities, resulting in aggressive competition. Some of these companies had to find alternative markets for their products in other parts of the world to minimize the competition. The companies began transporting their products to Africa, which their competitors had not reached. Additionally, some companies could not get buys in Europe as their products were deemed of poor quality, so they began to sell these products in Africa since they knew very few people would complain of the poor quality. Therefore, these companies established trade centers and settlements and progressively increased their numbers, eventually leading to empire-building.
Investment in Surplus Capital
During the 19th century, industrialization peaked in Europe, leading to increased growth and profits for many company owners. As such, they began investing in the profits in different industries sectors to facilitate further growth and development. Therefore, these entrepreneurs proceeded to make investments in Africa which had started developing due to the significant trade activities and the establishment of other European companies. This resulted in colonialism in Africa since the investments ensured the development of Africa, thus attracting even more people and governments from Europe.
Strategic Positioning
Africa was strategically positioned regarding the Suez Canal. The canal allowed for easy movement of naval vessels between Europe and Asia, thus providing a shorter and safer route. Britain occupied Egypt, which at the time enabled better control over the canal. Egypt was an area of conflict between Britain and France because Britain had already occupied Kenya and Uganda. France thus tried to occupy Egypt but to no avail; as such, France occupied the even regions on the southern side of Egypt as payback. France planned to divert the river Nile to retaliate against Britain for occupying all regions through which the Nile was passing. The strategic position of Africa attracted more European countries, which began settling and building settlements, which resulted in Africas imperialism.
Unemployment
The industrial revolution was characterized by the mechanization of manufacturing and processing processes. Increased machinery usage resulted in massive unemployment because most manufacturers preferred using machines. Machines were cheaper and more efficient than human labor; many people were laid off to pave the way for mechanization. However, the European government developed a strategy to solve unemployment by expanding its territories. Thus, they began establishing new companies in Africa, which required both skilled and unskilled workers.
Consequently, these new manufacturing plants created more employment opportunities for European jobless civilians. Imperialism resulted from settling these new employees since they had to establish communities and settlements. Furthermore, European governments encouraged more citizens to move to Africa to establish farms that would help harness more raw materials for their homeland companies. For instance, countries like Kenya developed farms that provided hide, tea, coffee, and dairy products for European companies. Correspondingly more Europeans settled in Africa and hence colonization.
Development of Naval Machinery
Infrastructural development improved significantly during the 19th century, and thus most countries in Europe had improved naval vessels. Most countries owned steel steamships, enabling them to travel further to Africa. These vessels became subject to competition among many European countries; each wanted to outdo the other, culminating in Africas imperialism. Moreover, these vessels created a high demand for coal which could not be satisfied adequately in Europe. Therefore, the respective countries had to source coal from Africa, which had rich mines. They used coal to power their factories and other machinery and thus established settlements around the mines to protect them from other countries, leading to the imperialism of Africa.
Mineral Speculation
Most Europeans believed that Africa was rich with large mineral reserves, which acted as a pull factor. The speculations of minerals in Africa were reinforced by the fact that most African trade activities were conducted using gold and bronze, among other minerals. The discovery of gold and diamond in Kimberly in South Africa confirmed the speculations, leading to the flocking of African European investors. Since the speculators could not go back home regularly, they established settlements where they resided. Governments built settlements and administrative posts from where they conducted their prospection activities, leading to permanent residences and, thus, colonialism. Besides, some of the minerals they mined had to be processed before being shipped to Europe; thus, industries were built, and more people were brought to provide human resources. More Europeans settled in Africa to facilitate the extraction, processing, and transportation of these minerals, culminating in imperialism.
Trade
During the 19th century, trade was well-developed in Africa, creating a significant market opportunity for European products. European countries were determined to dominate the market. Therefore, they adopted free trade imperialism which advocated for peaceful dominance. Nevertheless, they began using military force to assert dominance over the market; thus, they built military bases which served as command centers for trade activities. Weaker communities were forced to give up their trade routes and rights to European powers. For instance, in West Africa, trade was extensive and was controlled by the local leaders, who, in turn, amassed wealth uncontrollably. This drew the attention of the Europeans, who wanted a share of the profits; as such, they relocated to Africa to maximize trade and eventual dominance. The trade resulted in the gradual settling of Whites in Africa, thus leading to the imperialism of Africa.
Science and Medicine
Africa, a tropical region, had a high prevalence of tropical diseases like Malaria, which was deadly to all Europeans. Most Europeans shunned the regions and only used intermediaries to conduct trade activities. Therefore, the intermediaries controlled all trades, which minimized the Whites profits. Nevertheless, during the 19th century, science was well-developed and thus facilitated the development of proper medical drugs. This allowed more Europeans to travel to Africa without fearing for their health, so to maximize their profits, they established dominance over the trade by moving most of their companies to Africa. For instance, French chemists developed the cure for Malaria, Quinine which was in high demand among the Europeans who sought to explore Africa and trade. Following these discoveries, countries established botanical gardens in their motherland and prospective colonies to ensure a sufficient drug supply.
Political Factors
Nationalism
Toward the end of the 19th century, most European countries were well developed with better machinery and improved living standards. The sense of pride culminated in the spirit of nationalism among the people of Europe. Britain nationals used the sun never sets on the British Empire. This meant that the sun was shining on the British Empire at any given time, signifying its vastness. They began to pressure their governments to acquire African territories like their neighboring countries. For instance, German citizens challenged their government to acquire colonies in Africa to achieve a sense of prestige like their neighbors. Germans believed they were a superior race and thus could rule the Africans, presumed to be lesser humans. Nationalism grew to a point where the government could not resist any longer and thus resulted in imperialism.
Public Opinion
More European countries acquired colonies in Africa and other regions worldwide, while others lagged. Citizens from these countries championed for their countries to get colonies like their competing neighboring countries. As such, these countries began to acquire colonies to adhere to public opinion. A perfect example is in Germany and Britain; in Britain, the citizens demanded that their government should not lose its position by letting other countries occupy more colonies than themselves. Its citizens pressured Germany to occupy the West African region.
Power and Superiority
During the 19th Century, Europe was characterized by competition among the different countries. Most of these countries competed to prove that they were better and superior while their counterparts were inferior. They competed in various capacities; for instance, when one country acquired a colony, the rest would acquire colonies to prove they were not inferior. The competition became stiff as they began to compete on who would have the highest number of colonies. Furthermore, these countries would undermine each other to ensure they emerged at the top. A perfect example of this rivalry was during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. Countries like Germany and Russia supplied the Ethiopian emperor with advanced weapons and the necessary resources, which resulted in the defeat of the Italian army. The other countries would then use the opportunity to acquire even more territories while the competitors were engaged in battle. The rivalry resulted in the settling of Europeans in Africa, which in turn ended up in imperialism.
Military Strength and Prowess
Towards the end of the 19th century, almost all European countries had equipped their armies with advanced weapons. As such, the army commanders from the different armies tested each others wits and tactics to see who had better skills and machinery. Furthermore, when a country acquired new territory in Africa, the army was praised, and army officials were promoted. As such, all the officials were focused on outshining their rivals and, at the same time, were promoted for their achievements. Furthermore, countries with well-trained and equipped armies could conquer and acquire territory from the resisting African communities. Britain had equipped its army adequately, which facilitated the royal armys victory in capturing colonies, even in regions that brought up an uprising. European presence and influence in Africa increased gradually through these conquests, resulting in imperialism.
Unification of Germany
Germany existed as two separate states s, but towards the end of the 19th, it was united under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The unification of Germany resulted in an imbalance of power in Europe, and this is because another European power had risen when we were only a few earlier before. As such, something had to be done to restore the power balance. Therefore, most European countries began to seek more power by acquiring African colonies. Germany became a more significant power than other smaller countries and thus began amassing European territories by conquering the weaker countries. Germany took over two provinces, Alsace and Lorraine, from France, which were rich in coal and iron. France retaliated by acquiring more colonies in Africa. Consequently, more countries acquired more colonies to increase their power, leading to the development of imperialism.
Intercommunity Conflicts
Among African communities, there were those in constant conflict with each other, which resulted in endless wars. These wars weakened many African communities, which made it difficult for them to create significant resistance against the Europeans. Therefore, the European powers exploited these conflicts and enmities to achieve their goals. They employed the tactics of divide and rule on the rivaling Africans; they would support and equip one community and use it to fight the others and dominate all the other communities. This tactic was significant since it enabled Europeans to conquer colonies with little effort. Europeans would also bring gifts for one community and its leaders and promise them even more if they agreed to do their bidding. They enticed them to become collaborators, giving them power over the other communities. Consequently, the whites could settle, extend their power to Africans and exert dominance through their appointed leaders.
Weak Decentralized Communities
Many communities in Africa were decentralized and thus existed independently of each other. They had no armies or advanced weapons to counter the European armies, and calamities weakened them. In addition, the armies employed strategies that guaranteed the weakening of these communities, and an example of these strategies was the use of the scorch earth policy. Through this course of action, the military destroyed all the food, livestock, and property of the target community. These communities ran out of food and resources and thus could not resist the Europeans infiltration. The communities could not measure up to the weapons and tactics of European soldiers, which facilitated easy settlement of the Europeans and eventual imperialism.
European Rivalry
Conflicts of interest had created competitiveness between nations in Europe. An example of the intensified enmity was that between Germany and France; upon unification, Germany reclaimed its province, which it had to relinquish to France due to its division. France could not retaliate because it was still recovering from the effect of the Franc-Prussian war. As such, France sought a more peaceful method of regaining its power, and that was through the acquisition of colonies in Africa. Frances agility in capturing colonies attracted the attention of other nations, and thus they too began to amass colonies to ensure they could effectively counter whatever France was planning. Further, the activities of King Léopold of Belgium in Congo raised questions among different European states. King Leopold had commissioned Henry Morton Stanley to create a company that would, in turn, establish the kings empire, eradicate the slave trade and institute free trade in Congo. These activities resulted in the convening of the Berlin conference, which led to the scramble for and partition of the African continent.
Social Factors
Humanitarian Intervention
During the 19th Century slave trade in Africa had become rampant, raising concerns among many European nations. Many such individuals, governments, and other organizations began campaigns that called for European intervention in the matter. Therefore, different governments intervened to end the slave trade and establish free and legitimate trade. Nonetheless, upon completing the humanitarian activities, some of these organizations chose to remain in Africa to control and promote free trade and enforce anti-slavery legislation. This resulted in the massive occupation of white settlers in Africa hence imperialism. Aside from the slave trade, many Europeans believed that Africans were suffering and leading lives of complete suffering; as such, they formed organizations that provided relief aid and helped them with agriculture and other skills. This led to establishing of white settlements in Africa; Europeans stopped the slave trade and replaced it with colonization.
Furthermore, European civilization played a vital role in facilitating colonialism. This is because most parts of Europe were developed and civilized; thus, they felt it was their responsibility to introduce western culture to the Africans. They viewed Africans as barbaric and uncultured and thus pressured their governments to develop programs that would aid in civilizing Africans. This resulted in the colonization of Africa since these governments began by establishing their rule over various regions of Africa before establishing schools for Africa.
Toward s the end of the 19th century, European nations had successively put an end to the slave trade along the coast of Africa; nonetheless, the slave trade was continuing in most interior markets of Africa. African chiefs and other leaders were still supporting and conducting the slave trade and raids; as such European nations resulted in complete blown infiltration to ensure the trades were finished. In the process of fighting slave traders and rescuing the captured enslaved people, these European soldiers established command centers from where they conducted their operations and stayed.therefore, after the operation was completed, most of these soldiers chose to remain behind since they had established their livelihood in Africa and this led to the European imperialism in African.
Christian Missionaries
During the 19th Century, Christianity was the main religion in Europe since almost everybody practiced it. On the other hand, Islam was gaining popularity in Africa, which was a concern for European missionaries. They disregarded African religious practices and aimed to replace these practices with Christianity. Missionaries were focused on ensuring Christianity was accepted by all Africans. They gave Africans gifts and clothes to entice them to accept Christianity. They introduced new practices to Africans, including new plants, farming practices, and education. Missionaries established mission schools where they taught Africans arithmetic, reading, and writing; those who excelled were awarded even more African to the mission stations. However, some regions were not very receptive to the new religion and practices and thus were very hostile toward the missionaries. Therefore, they called for reinforcement from the government to combat the hostile communities, which led to the imperialism of some regions of Africa.
Some Missionaries used the training as a ploy to smooth the entry of their respective European governments. They trained Africans to depend on them so they would always need them and thus not deviate from their teaching. For instance, Africans were only taught manual skills and not cognitive skills. Some missionaries served their government by preparing adequate manual labor, which would be handy upon establishing Settlers farms in the European governments. Missionaries introduced western subsistence farming to Africans and reserved cash crop farming for their White counterparts. As missionaries spread the gospel, they also reported what they learned about Africa to their respective governments. Africa was conducted for farming and was rich in minerals. This, therefore, attracted more European settlers into Africa hence colonization.
During the 19th century, Europeans conducted many expeditions to explore Africa, and in return, they reported what they witnessed during their excursions. Some of the news they delivered raised many questions among the recipients, especially the church. As a result, the church had to send more missionaries to Africa so that they could help the Africans. As per the reports by the voyagers Africans were uncultured and backward, they had no religion and lived like animals. Europeans financed more voyages to help the Africans and see what they had heard firsthand. More Europeans came into Africa and settled through these voyages, impacting imperialism in Africa.
Toward the end of the 19th century, Africa experienced severe drought, followed by a catastrophic food shortage for both people and livestock. Africans died in large numbers and became too weak to protect themselves from attacks. During the tough times, missionaries arrived in various parts of Africa, claiming they had come to offer help. Most African leaders had to accept the help offered to save their people. Consequently, the Europeans became permanent residents of these regions since they were revered for saving many African lives. They reported their progress to their home nations, which led to an influx of White settlers in Africa hence imperialism. In addition, the famine and smallpox pandemic of 1895 rendered most African communities defenseless, and thus European soldiers could capture those regions without any resistance whatsoever.
Population Growth
Industrial revolutions facilitated better wages, healthcare, and living conditions, promoting increased population growth. The overall population in Europe was overwhelming the available resources; as such, the governments had to find a solution to the problem. These governments resolved the problem by acquiring African colonies and moving the citizens to inhabit these colonies. The settlers were given land which initially belonged to the indigenous people; they were to cultivate the lands and produce raw materials for industries in Europe and provide skilled labor for the industries that had been established in Africa. European governments sent representatives who governed the colonies on behalf of the governments. The establishment of new foreign governments in Africa cemented the reign of colonialism.
Advanced Technology and Weaponry
Europe was more advanced than Africa; thus, they had better weapons and technology. Technology and weapons played a vital role in facilitating imperialism. For instance, explorers relied heavily on technology to ensure their survival in the tropic; they had to take preventive drugs and vaccines to avoid succumbing to tropical diseases. More so, they used navigation tools to draw maps for their governments. Technology enabled easy movement and transportation of raw materials. European soldiers had better, even deadlier, weapons than the African warriors; therefore, the Whites had the upper hand during battles. Thus, they easily won the wars and confiscated African lands. These weapons and advanced technology significantly expedited European imperialism in Africa.
Traders and Explorers
Governments and wealthy individuals financed explorers to prospect uncharted lands, after which they would return and report on what they learned and discovered. The success of an explorer was measured by how beneficial their information was. Nonetheless, explorers played a critical role in facilitating the colonization of Africa, and this is because they would exaggerate what they had seen and learned to ensure continuous funding. The exaggerated information resulted in an influx of White settlers on African lands. Furthermore, explorers frequently requested their governments for protection from hostile African communities; the military would be sent to accompany the explorers. However, upon completion, the military would often remain behind, ending with the colonization of Africa.
On the other hand, European trading companies used force on African traders who disagreed with them. The traders were accompanied by an armed military unwilling to use force. For instance, the Royal Niger Company forced local farmers to supply them with palm oil at a lower price, but their local leader King Jaja refused and only allowed his agents to buy palm oil from his people. In retaliation, they were summoned by the government representative and forced to sign an agreement to ensure the company bought the palm oil at their chosen price, after which King Jaja was exiled. Traders thus facilitated colonialism by deploying military force on traders.
Navigable Rivers and Established Roads
Africa had well-established trade routes that served as roads for the Europeans. Many Europeans traversed the continent quickly since they used the trade routes that most had familiarized with during their trade activities. On the other hand, those who preferred traveling by water could do so since Africa has many navigable rivers like river Nile, Zambezi, and Niger. These roads and rivers made it easy for the European soldiers to combat resisting communities. More so, it was easier for them to transport machinery and other materials wherever needed without any problem whatsoever. The ability to quickly move around the continent was critical in enabling the launch of European expansionism in Africa.
Conclusion
Imperialism of Africa by Europe was stimulated by different factors that influenced European nations individually or as a whole. Two-three main factions can characterize the factors that led to the colonization of Africa by Europe, and they are; social factors, political factors, and economic factors. Political factors relate to the administrative aspect of Europe. It refers to how different European governments and authority figures exercised power and how they related with their counterparts. Some of these political factors included; militarism, European rivalry, and nationalism.
On the other hand, economic factors revolve around the effects of the industrial revolution on individual nations and Europe as a whole. Some of the economic factors that facilitated imperialism comprise; the search for the market, the search for raw materials, the search for cheap labor, and the investment of surplus capital. Social factors of imperialism revolve around the cultural aspect of life and the peoples way of life, including the role of explorers, the increased population in Europe, humanitarian factors, and the role of missionaries. These factors cumulatively facilitated European imperialism of Africa.
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