Berlin Conference Impact

The Impact of the Berlin Conference

Economics, politics, and social factors are all critical factors of why the Europeans were seeking to take control of Africa in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The drastic and controversial methods the Europeans used back then would leave a long-lasting effect on Africa and their people. The Berlin Conference occurred in 1884 and was the forefront of the partition of Africa. The Scramble of Africa was the precedent of both Berlin Conference and the Partition of Africa. The Scramble of Africa was only beneficial to the European nations because they competed against one another, economically seeking to expand territory, social factors and the gain of raw materials for trade. With the rise of pride
The impact of the conference was affected across Africa allowing the Europeans to settle and colonize these areas with European culture, language, and overall ideology.
The Berlin Conference was a strategic and controversial meeting made by fourteen European nations it was peaceful sit down in Europe but excluded all African countries. The Berlin Conference two primary purposes were to establish international trade on the Congo River and navigation on the Niger as well as to set up provisions on future territorial gain of Africa that would be more official . In other words, it laid out the rules of how areas of Africa could occupy as well as establish a capital system for trade. Countries such as Portugal and Britain were fighting over the Congo and Niger based off of self-interest but with laws implemented these two rivers could now freely be used by all to trade goods. It was an easy way for the Europeans to keep their eye on the competition as well as to stop tension. Besides trade, the Europeans wanted to influence Africa with their way of living. They felt that if they could colonize the African people, it would give them more power and