European Imperialism In Africa Dbq Essay

Words: 552
Pages: 3

There is nothing more discouraging than having your entire world torn apart by foreigners. However, the thoughts and feelings of native Africans didn’t stop the Europeans from implanting themselves and dominating every aspect of society. So what were the reasons for European imperialism in Africa? There was large national competition, cultural attitudes, and sizable economical benefits.
During the 19th century, Europe was propelled by competition. Many of the great powers, including Britain, France, and Germany, had turned against each other in recent wars, however they all held the desire to expand their own countries empire and display their power and authority. In England, as explained by intellectual speaker john Ruskin, they believed founding colonies would help to, “advance the power of England by land and by sea” (Doc B). Freidrich Fabri, the father of the German colonial movement, described the importance of imperializing Africa by saying, “should the New German Reich wish to prove
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Smaller European countries like Britain and Belgium had limited natural resources, whereas the large African nations had an abundance. Europeans took this opportunity to gain resources like cotton, oil, rubber, coffee, and gold and use them to make luxury goods such as cosmetics, candles, waterproof clothes, and jewelry (Doc D). These high-class goods made countries look superior, so there was a high demand for them. African countries began buying these goods in an effort to look more civilized. In 1900, over twenty million British pounds’ worth of goods were imported into Africa (Doc E). European countries made lots of money by seizing natural resources from colonies, manufacturing luxury goods, and reselling them to the same African nations. The primary reason behind European nations imperializing Africa was gaining a new expanse of resources and a new market to sell goods to in order to gain enormous