Imperialism in Africa
Once upon a time Africa was known as the Dark Continent. Very little information was available about this continent. The missionaries and the explorers were the first to venture into the interiors. There they discovered an immense treasure of ivory, gold, diamond, timber and people who could be made slaves.
Africa also had weak political systems, a backward economy and society as well as weak armies. A competition started among the European nations to gain power and prestige as well as raw materials and markets for their manufactured goods. The Europeans on the other hand had technologically advanced weapons which helped in their conquests.
Till 1875, European possessions in Africa were limited to some forts and trading posts along the coast and a few small colonies. But between 1880 and 1910, the whole of Africa was divided up among the Europeans. All important decisions related to Africa and its people were taken on the conference tables of London, Paris, Lisbon and other European capitals for the next 50 years.
France acquired a huge empire in North and West Africa. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Dahomey, Mali and other areas in West Africa came under the French rule. Britain ruled Gambia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Nigeria, South Africa, Rhodesia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, parts of Somalil and and Libya. Germany ruled over Southwest Africa, Tanganyika, Togoland and Cameroon until German was defeated in World War I.
By the time the war started in 1914, only two independent countries were left in Africa - Liberia and Ethiopia. But Ethiopia was taken over by Italy in 1935.
An interesting feature about Imperialism was the slave trade in Africa. The Europeans started importing slaves from Africa to work on the plantations in their colonies in America. There was a regular slave market in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Between 1500 and 1800, nearly 15 million Africans were captured and sold as slaves.