Homes and land were transferred to the power of the British and the natives could not do anything about it. The Europeans did not care for the social state of the Africans before acting inhumane, as it was for the sole purpose of taking away africans to use them as miners. In conclusion, to the three driving reasons of imperialism in Africa. Economy, where the Europeans came and took control of what they wanted in ability for them to succeed. Technology, when the Europeans
Britain. The natural resources in Africa motivated European countries to take control of certain areas. The resources that fueled European imperialism were slave trade, and the mining of gold and diamonds. Europeans got all the resources from Africa cheap and then sold them with high prices. Beside having control over resources, Africa also gave Europeans strategic areas of land that helped their militaries or trade canals.
Britain. The natural resources in Africa motivated European countries to take control of certain areas. The resources that fueled European imperialism were slave trade, and the mining of gold and diamonds. Europeans got all the resources from Africa cheap and then sold them with high prices. Beside having control over resources, Africa also gave Europeans strategic areas of land that helped their militaries or trade canals.
The reason that iImperialism became so popular was because it was economically quite profitable, which in turn created competition amongst the European countries to colonize the most countries. Without this competition between nations, there would be no driving force for colonization. In other words,“Colonies and spheres of influence abroad became symbols of ‘Great Power’ status for a nation, and their acquisition was a matter of urgency” (882). Note that possessing tTerritories and colonies became a source of pride for the citizens of a nation, thus putting pressure on governments to continue colonial expansion. From this quotation, it can be inferred that the creation of industrial societies gave rise to nationalism and state unity, which eventually lead to the rebirth of imperialism throughout Europe.
To what extent was ethnocentrism and racism the greatest motivation for western European nations embarking on an imperialistic conquest of the African continent between the late 1800’s and 1914? “Power mixed with cunningness creates poison cocktail. While power with cleverness makes a perfect pilot whale.” (Stephen Thompson, Ph.D., n.d.). In the imperialistic conquest of Africa this quote proved accurate. The Western Europeans gain power over Africans, however the way they controlled their power, with inhumane, racist and selfish actions mean’t the colonies were bound to failure.
For one thing, the raging flame of nationalism and the spread of the Industrial Revolution throughout the European Continent forced major European powers such as Germany, France and Britain to vie for more resources to fuel their industrial manufacture and compete for new markets for their factory products. As such, these nations had their eye on Africa as a source of raw materials and as a market for their industrial products. To achieve their objects, the European powers occupied immense areas of Africa during the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, which heralded the era of European imperialism in Africa. During the imperial period, the European nations with strong political, military and economic power muscled their way across the African Continent and shouldered the weak ones aside, completely dominating every aspect of the African people. Strategic motivation also played an essential role in the scramble.
Imperialism benefited developing nations from the positive aspects of technological advancements, economic gain, and political power. European imperialism played a significant role of the evolution of transportation, military, and communication technologies. Since the Industrial Revolution occurred before the age of imperialism, the production of weapons and tools became more efficient and quicker. Thus, inventing the
For example, they were taught new measures of growing crops faster, with fewer effects but with a great profit. The Europeans led Africa out of the economic isolation with the rest of the world, trough trade partnerships. Even though their invasion was solely based on their own economic benefits and to establish economic control over Africa and extracting all raw materials that the land possessed, they continued reasoning their invasion and domination as a form of emancipation, which was saving the Africans from barbarism and poverty. For, example, in Zimbabwe, cash crops such as cotton, sugar and tobacco were farmed and there was an attempt made by the British South African Company to hone in on the state’s gold
The Europeans who have long since been referred to as “explorers” were conquerors. Although conquering may not have been what the Europeans had in mind when they set off, they did take over new lands and people. They took lands that they did not own, and had no real right to take, essentially stealing them. They went as merchants, but decided to stay because they could make profits off the new land. Europeans wanted the glory of discovering and claiming a place not already claimed or known to the other European countries, not just for themselves, but for their country.
By the early twentieth century, however, much of Africa, except Ethiopia and Liberia, had been colonized by European powers. The European imperialist push into Africa was motivated by three main factors, economic, political, and social. It developed in the nineteenth century following the collapse of the profitability of the slave trade, its abolition and suppression, as well as the expansion of the European capitalist Industrial Revolution. The imperatives of capitalist industrialization—including the demand for assured sources of raw materials, the search for guaranteed markets and profitable investment outlets—spurred the European scramble and the partition and eventual conquest of Africa. Thus the primary motivation for European intrusion was economic.