3. 1845 Map of Africa
• Until mid 19th century,
very little known
about Tropical Africa
• Previous contact was
limited mainly to slave
trade through
European forts &
trade stations along
the African coasts

4. Exploration & interest
• David Livingstone
– 1860’s Scottish Missionary
– MIA for several years
– H.M. Stanley
• American newspaper
reporter
• Wrote articles about
searching for Livingstone
• Articles made World-Wide
headlines
• Famous greeting:
“Dr. Livingstone I presume?”

5. King Leopold & the Congo
• This exploration &
increasing interest led to a
treaty whereby Belgium
gained the Congo
• Soon after
Belgium claimed a
section of Africa,
other nations of
Europe scrambled
to do the same

6. The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885
• The Berlin Conference set forth the rules for
the division of Africa

7. • Fourteen European
nations met, with no
African representation,
to divide the continent
with little regard to
ethnic or linguistic
boundaries
• After the division, only
Liberia & Ethiopia were
not imperialized by 1914
Video: “The Scramble for Africa”

8. European Conquest of Africa
• With Europe’s advanced
technology, primarily in
weaponry & steamships, &
the cultural disunity of
Africa, the African nations
were easily dominated
 Better weapons (guns vs spears &
clubs)
 Able to control a conquered area
more easily (Railways, Steamboats,
& Telegraph cables)
 The drug quinine (immunization for
malaria)
 Europeans played rival groups
against each other

9. The Boer War
• Despite the European
agreement to
peaceful division,
conflicts still arose
• In South Africa, for
example, the Dutch,
British, & Africans
fought for land &
resources
Video: “The Second Boer War: When Does a War Stop Being a War?”

10. Key Emphasis on
African Imperialism
• In Africa, Europeans began
exploring & then eventually
took over land to get more
raw materials that were
needed as a result of
industrialization
What were the motives
for the European
“Scramble for Africa”?