European Imperialism In Africa

Prior to 1880, European rule in the African continent had mostly been restricted to the coast, extending a short distance inland along major rivers due to their economic interests being primarily limited to the slave trade. The start of the 1880’s saw massive increase of European nations seeking territory in Africa. Europeans seeking rights to land, resources, and trading routes in Africa had to compete with other nations, corporations, and African natives. In order to gain these rights from the native people, Europeans would make unfair treaties and contracts with African tribes that took advantage of their, land, resources, and people.
The title of the source, “Controlling Africa-The Standard Treaty” implies that this contract was used as
a standard operating procedure by the Royal Niger Company to control the land, resources, and people of African tribes. The language and formality of the document is very biased towards the Royal Niger Company and it mentions that the Royal Niger Company will pay native land owners for the land they require, so I would conclude that the Royal Niger Company was operated by Europeans. In return for ceding the power to mine, farm, and build on their land tribes received protection, payment to landowners, and a set payment to the Chiefs. Tribe leaders were probably not educated well enough to understand exactly what they were signing away in this contract and therefore likely did not receive any of these promises from the Royal Niger Company or were possibly lied to about the terms and conditions of the contract.
European Imperialism occurred for many reasons, one being the desire for territories. The more territory you controlled the more power and prestige your country had. Exploration was another reason for European Imperialism. Wealthy sponsors who wanted details of markets, goods, and resources renewed interest in exploration by funding expeditions whose purpose was to create and report records of said details.
Control of trade routes fueled the scramble for Africa and competition among European countries. Africa was a direct route to India which made the Europeans countries want African territory even more because of India’s silks and spices. The Suez Canal on the eastern coast of Egypt is the fastest route to India. The Suez Canal was very important to Britain. After capturing the Suez Canal from the French, guarding the canal became a critical part of Britain’s foreign policy.
The British needed to drive out the threat of other Europeans in Africa to maintain control of India, and they did so efficiently. They quickly gained control of both the major sea routes to India and then focused on the rest of the continent. Whether the British were trying to further public support or prevent another nation from becoming a threat, all British actions in Africa were directly or indirectly linked to India. The British were motivated by their desire to become powerful, and they skillfully combined enterprise and conquest to create an empire centered on the wealth of India.
The struggle of difference between the white Europeans and the native Africans was a major factor in the impact of imperialism on Africa.
The European explorers “seldom had men of their own race with them, and they often found their African hosts strange and unpredictable, and feared their hostility.” 1 The Europeans felt like they had to gain control over the African people in order to maintain power. This sometimes had positive effects such as the introduction of modern transportation such as railroads. They also shared their knowledge of nutrition and medicine which increased the health and life span of the Africans. According to Chamberlain’s book, “The Scramble for Africa”, imperialism was good for Africa because it brought the African natives’ lives up to the standards of western civilization. 2 This is true in some aspects however, I believe the social relationships of the natives and their cultural traditions were negatively altered causing them to change their way of life solely because the European’s ethnocentric way of thinking. Their controlling of the indigenous people had many other negative impacts on Africa because of how the Europeans treated the Africans as inferiors and sometimes even harshly with no ethnic or cultural respect. Railroad companies and miners used local populations as a source of labor for dangerous jobs where the indigenous people worked in harsh conditions, sometimes risking their lives, for little pay. The scramble for Africa started in 1870 and by 1890 most of Africa was under European rule with only Ethiopia and Liberia remaining independent. 3 European Imperialism most likely caused the tribal warfare that occurred later in
Africa.
The Standard Treaty of Controlling Africa reflects the imperialistic rush that occurred in the late 19th century. Europe wanted African land for power, wealth, and control. The Royal Niger Company was significant in that it helped Britain gain control of many African countries. The competition between European countries drove this scramble for Africa and affected the world for generations to come.