The Rush To Colonize Africa In The 19th Century

The rush to colonize Africa was motivated by many factors, economics being the main component. Europe 's interest in Africa drastically increased in the 19th century. Many events explain Europe 's increased involvement in Africa and while Europe was facing many problems during the time, they were still able to advance and grow as a whole. Europeans began to colonize African nations in order to make a profit and to maintain both economic and political power over other countries. The timing was almost perfect because of new advancements and previous European explorations. Many aspects played a role in the colonization of Africa. It would be injudicious to presume that Europe 's interest in Africa was limited to just one main factor.

During the 1800s, Europe faced a period of depression. The Industrial Revolution left many Europeans unemployed, in poverty, or homeless (Iweriebor). Africa offered a beautiful piece of land with an abundant amount of raw materials and vast riches (Nardo 8). In fact, the continent is one of the world’s richest in terms of natural resources (Dudley 16). European countries were attracted to the wealth that these materials could bring to them. They were hopeful that by making a profit out of Africa, they could escape depression. Europe

Competition was also a major factor that contributed to the colonization of Africa. Many European countries had a rivalry with each other. For example, France and Britain grew to despise one another due to the infamous Hundred Years ' War, and it was a priority of theirs to out rank the other. However, power was desired throughout all of Europe, not just Britain and France. Other nations like Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Portugal fought for power (Iweriebor). Pride in one 's country, or nationalism, was extremely important in Europe during the time, and European countries would do almost anything to be the strongest country. Colonizing Africa gave European countries power and superiority over other