British Imperialism In Africa

Words: 1065
Pages: 5
Open Document
The British Imperialism of Africa was not much different, in terms of motivation, from any of the other Imperial moves made by Britain around this time. Each conquest of a new country and foreign land had a strong economic influence behind it. Without one, there would seem to be no logical reason to move on the country in the first place. The “Neo-Imperialist” movement in Africa was following the industrial revolution in Britain. The country desperately needed a new source for raw materials, and the Empire turned its focus onto Africa. There were three main causes, which all seemed to be linked, which drove Britain straight into Africa. First were the economic causes. The industrial revolution was expanding rapidly, and Britain strongly relied …show more content…
Many other countries, however, were developing new factories and employing cheap labor. These new factories and major industries were much more cost effective and nearly looked to put Britain out of the industrial picture. These new industrialized countries were putting Britain’s economical standing in jeopardy and they quickly needed to find somewhere that offered a large quantity of raw goods for them to manufacture. Africa offered them just that. To Britain, Africa was an uncharted area they showed some material promise. They already had Cairo under their influence. They also had control of South Africa after they managed to take of from the Boers, whom The Boers were the Dutch-speaking farmers in South Africa. They had arrived as a result of the Dutch Trading Company. The Boers were constantly fighting the British on the use of slavery in their works and the British were trying to eliminate the practice of slavery in its entirety. The British knew of the raw goods that would lie in between these two locations. They just needed to power to do …show more content…
One was that Africa was an unknown land. The British government essentially had no idea where they were going once they got there. They were relying on partially filled-in maps and current exploration attempts. This brought them to their second challenge: malaria. The cure for malaria came as a “consequence and a cause of new imperialism” (Headrick, 73). Had it not been for the cure of this disease, there may have never been an imperialist movement in Africa due to the death toll. However, the consequence meant losing many lives prior to the cure in order to not only find a cure, but to also chart out the land in order to give Britain an idea of what it was truly getting itself
Show More

Related Documents: British Imperialism In Africa

Dbq Essay On Imperialism

Imperialism Essay Imperialism improved the lives of the colonized to small extent. Although, in some ways imperialism improved the lives of the native people in Africa by improving infrastructure, to a great extent imperialism made life worse because the it created a food shortage for the natives in the colonies and brutalized the natives of the belgian congo. Nevertheless, Imperialism improved infrastructure of the colonized people in Africa. Life in Africa was made better through infrastructure…

Words 568 - Pages 3

American Imperialism In Africa Dbq Analysis

What was the driving force behind European imperialism? Africa had many important/necessary items to attract foreigners. The examples below do/will prove this very statement. The driving force behind European imperialism in Africa was Nationalism (Doc.B), New Inventions(Doc.C), & Reliable resources(Doc.D). These three main topics were part of the driving force behind European imperialism in Africa. Nationalism was one very important topic due to pride and ego. “...advocacy of political independence…

Words 386 - Pages 2

The British Government were reluctant i Essay

“The British Government were reluctant imperialists in West Africa” To what extent do you agree with this statement? It can be argued that the British government were reluctant imperialists in West Africa, there was a strong desire by the British Government and the British people to abolish slavery, the role of George Goldie who brought the sense of “creeping imperialism” and the ongoing threat European Powers posed to British rule in Africa. These factors all suggest that the Government were reluctant…

Words 651 - Pages 3

European Imperialism In Africa Dbq Analysis

In the late 1800’s Europeans took over Africa, took their resources, enslaving the Africans which changed the whole course of history. The Europeans took over Africa, which was called The scramble of Africa, in 1884-1914. They took over Africa because Africa was rich in raw minerals, they thought their culture was superior and they also wanted power. The driving force behind European Imperialism in Africa was need to natural resources, political competition and also for technological advances.…

Words 558 - Pages 3

Imperialism Research Paper

Imperialism How did imperialism impact India and Africa even after they gained independence? India experienced both positive and negative effects of European control. On the positive side, they benefited from improvements in transportation, such as railways, and medical advances. However, their political structure was greatly impacted by European control. Africa, on the other hand, faced many negative effects from European imperialism, especially economic struggles. The Europeans would enter African…

Words 949 - Pages 4

European Imperialism Dbq

Imperialism is the extending of a country’s power and influence through military force. European countries began to imperialize Africa after the Industrial Revolution, but why? The three main reasons behind European imperialism in Africa are competition with European neighbors, cultural superiority, and economy. European countries believed that if they controlled more land or colonies, that they would be the most powerful in their continent. Well, they weren’t wrong. According to Document B, the…

Words 586 - Pages 3

Colonialism: The Negative Social Effects Of Imperialism In Africa

The effects of imperialism were negative socially because European countries believed they were superior and this led to many negative social effects like slavery and loss of native culture. One important negative social effect of imperialism in Africa and Asia can be found in Document #7. The document was created by Kikuyu Chief Kabongo who was the chief of Kenya and witnessed many changes that happened to his country under British rule. He wrote this for Muthungu wa Miti in Kenya of 1935 and wrote…

Words 1540 - Pages 7

European Imperialism In Africa Dbq

century, King Leopold II suggested European nations should divide Africa so each nation had their own takings. “Wilhelm Bismarck of Germany proposed that a conference be held in Berlin in 1884 and 1885 to divide up Africa in a reasonable and peaceful manner.” There were many different causes for European Imperialism in Africa. Some of them were political competition, cultural attitudes, and Economics. Much of European Imperialism in Africa came as a result of political competition among the nations.…

Words 330 - Pages 2

The Age Of Imperialism Notes 2 Essay

The Age of Imperialism: New Imperialism – 1800-1914 Imperialism: Domination by one country of the political, cultural or economic life of another country or region. First Imperialism: Christopher Columbus Causes of New Imperialism Economic Motives Industrial Revolution Increased European demand and competition for resources. New land = New markets for goods Political and Military Motives Overseas Empire = Power and Prestige Refueling Stations and Trade Routes Rivalries led nations to seize lands…

Words 1441 - Pages 6

Similarities Between Imperialism In Africa And East Asia

New imperialism in Africa and East Asia was characterized by the expansion of the European control over the colonies. Even after the abolishment of the slave trade on the 18th-century, some African societies continued with the trade, which was the case of Abina and the Important Men . The new imperialism was a case of legitimate trade between the European countries, especially Britain that sought to replace human trade in Africa and opium in East Asia. Further, there were no clear regulations on…

Words 624 - Pages 3