Late Nineteenth Century

Imperialism: The Scramble

for Africa

The Berlin Conference, 1885• By the mid-nineteenth century, Europeans considered Africa to be

disputed territory ripe for exploration, trade, and settlement by their colonists.

• With the exception of trading posts along the coasts, the continent had been essentially ignored.

• 1869: France opens the Suez Canal in Egypt• 1875: The Suez Canal comes under British control. Defeated in

Northeast Africa, the French move into Tunisia & Morocco in the Northwest of Africa.

• 1871: The New York Herald sends Henry Stanley into central Africa to find a “lost” British missionary. He finds Dr. David Livingstone in the Belgian Congo.

• Stanley’s reports on the economic possibilities of the region arouse international interest in the area.

• 1878: King Leopold II of Belgium invites Stanley to join him in researching and civilizing the continent. Stanley ultimately helps Leopold establish the Congo Free State for Belgium.

• The French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Germans, and British all rush in to stake their own claims in Africa.

• Concerned about conflict, Otto von Bismarck calls an international conference to deal with the partition & development of Africa.

• The following countries attended the Berlin Conference:– England– France– Portugal– Spain– Belgium– Italy– Germany– USA, Austria, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden-Norway, The

Ottoman Empire, Russia• The Conference set out to answer the following questions:

– 1. What will be done about the African Slave Trade?– 2. The Congo region of Central Africa (over 2 million square km)

had been open to all European investment. But Belgium had moved in in the late 1870s. What should be done with this massive tract of land?

– 3. Who would get to use the lengthy Congo & Niger rivers? – 4. Who can set up colonies and where?

NOTE: The Germans, who were new to the continent, believed no country should have legal right to territory unless they had strong, effective political control of the area. Regions without a strong political presence by a European power should be up for grabs. Britain, on the other hand, had large territorial possessions it wanted to hold onto with minimal responsibility.