European Imperialism

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What Was the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa?

Throughout the 1500s to the 1800s, many European countries had a heavy imperialistic influence across Africa. However, it took until the late 1800s before countries began claiming large portions of the continent. For example, during the late 1800s King Leopold of Belgium acquired over 900,000 square miles in Africa, calling it the the Congo Free state, making millions using forced labor with the natural resources present. Not long after, countries such as England, France, and Germany showed an interest on obtaining African land. This change in imperialism was sudden, but was due to many factors. The driving force behind European imperialism in Africa was the need for societal …show more content…
The Industrial Revolution began earlier in the century, and led to numerous inventions. For example, the steam engine increased the power of their ships and allowed for faster travel to and from Africa (Document C). The electric telegraph was invented as well, providing better communication from Africa to Europe. Finally, the Bessemer process was invented in 1855, resulting in faster and cheaper steel manufacturing, increasing the strength of their ships, tools, and weapons (Document C). Because of the rapid technological advancement during this era, the European countries were able to utilize this and imperialize most of …show more content…
One example of this is in Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”, stating “Go bind your sons to exile-To serve your captives need...Your new caught, sullen peoples- Half-devil and half-child...Take up the White Man’s burden” (Document F). As Kipling was directing these words towards England, he was suggesting that the British should take care of the Africans because their ways and culture was in need. We can also see that Kipling is referring to the Africans in a derogatory way, calling them ‘half devil’ and ‘sullen peoples’. From this, we can tell that Britain and many other European countries see themselves as a higher power. England thought that their culture was the greatest and thought it had to be given to the africans to improve the African culture. To further support this, the Europeans brought over different forms of technology that were meant to improve and advance African society. Medicines such as quinine were vital, as they could be used to cure disease that had previously plagued Africans, therefore lowering death rate drastically (Document C). Through imperialism, the Europeans believed that they were advancing African life and culture.

Imperialism - the control of one country’s politics, economy, or culture by another - is what caused Europe to invade and conquer much of Africa in the 19th century. The driving force on imperialism in africa was though obtaining
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