Causes of imperialism
Imperialism is containing of unequal territorial relationship, culture and economic ways of the people. It is practiced in states in the view of an empire reliant on dominance and sub ordinance.
During the 20th century, more powerful nations were desperate for control and increased land. Early in the 1870s, Belgian King Leopold posted emissaries to start trade with the Africans in Congo. This aroused other powers like France, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal. This resulted to a fight known as the scramble for Africa.
Between 1450 and 1750, Europeans and Africans traded. By 1850, only a few colonies existed in Africa coastal lands. The French had Algeria, Great Britain controlled Cape Colony, and Angola was colonized by the Portuguese.
In early 1800s, a trade between Africans and Europeans existed. This was in Sokoto Caliphate in western Africa and Egypt. It also spread to Ethiopia in north East Africa. Due to the great depression of 1873-96, Africa became open to countries like Britain, Germany and France. Britain unlike other nations had begun to run its imbalance of trade in Africa. It had its finances extend to white settler colonies, Middle East and Asia.
Ideological reasons to cause imperialism. This is because the white men believe that their race is better and they have to teach the others in order to civilize them. The simple connotation to this is the white man’s burden. They feel it is their duty to civilize other nations like in Africa and Asia.
Exploratory nature of the western nations also results to imperialism. The need to create a world map and discover new routes in other areas is the known agent for exploratory imperialism. Some as well came to causes of events, discover new minerals and see the type of lifestyle that others adore. This was due to the works of Livingstone and H. M Stanley of whom mapped Southern Africa and Central Africa.
Rites of legitimate trade West Africa
In the nineteenth century, the Trans Atlantic trade of slaves was eliminated and surpassed after being declared illegal. Non slave trade also referred to legitimate trade emerged. It dealt with products such as vegetables, palm oil and groundnuts. Slave trade had destructive effects on the societies. Moreover, the ending of the trade also resulted to political and economical difficulties leading to European intervention and colonization.
Passage to India through North East Africa
British imperialism in India contained Orientals. This included people who lived in North Africa, China and Western Europe. It had a force that networked political, social and cultural ways of the British Empire. The Orientals were corrupt morally with tendency towards nepotism. The imperial British ideology portrayed the Indians culture, colonial bureaucrats and their invocation of India’s culture.
King Solomon mines
It occurred in the nineteenth century. Rider Haggard served in the 1870s as a British colonial officer. He concocted his story from the land of Ophir where Africa was King Solomon’s mines. In Kimberly, South Africa, as regarded by Haggard’s tale. It provided riches for Europe, America and South Africa itself. It helped model the country’s racially divided societies in disregard to African interests which still lives on up to now. Due to the great depression around 1873 and 1896, western countries like Britain felt the need of becoming imperialists. This made people believe that they controlled South Africa due to the diamond and gold mines. The western interests in the mines overwhelmed that of the Africans. Gold came from Witwatersrand and diamond from Kimberly. The mining led to formation of alliances between the whites and blacks who were both capitalists. This made South Africa become an economic power house in the region.
The British started imperialism in Africa. This is because it was under pressure politically to control lucrative markets against upcoming rivals in China and most notable India. German became the second largest force after the Berlin conference of 1884-85. This resulted to an arm race with the Britain.
Bibliography
Robert Collins, Historical problems of imperial Africa - Princeton, Marcus, 2000
