The Scramble for Africa: A Prelude to the Conference

The 19th century proved unusually active as far as European expansionism and attempts to colonially subdue the entire world were concerned. Africa for instance became the theater for competition for territorial conquest and exploitation of the resources of this…continent. This can be probably best described as the so called Scramble for Africa, which eventually culminated in convening of the Berlin Conference of 1884.

Before the conference was held the African continent was an area inhabited by various indigenous tribes, sultanates, and kingdoms . European countries had earlier established coastal trading posts, but the wish for greater control and almost rampage territorial acquisition required a set of guidelines that would prevent increased hostilities and lay down basic principles.

Economic Motivations: The Rise of Industrialization

Another factor which prompted European powers to rush in for the territories African result from growing industrial requires. Europe’s Industrial Revolution opened a new chapter in the economic scene, and called for needed raw materials and fresh markets. Africa, being endowed with substantial rubber, timber, diamond, gold as well as other raw materials, was viewed as the best region for the expansion of this economic activity.

In addition, given high incidences of urbanization and unemployment rates in their home countries, European powers believed they could send surplus population to Africa. The desire to coloniz African argued that there would always be new territories for occupation and that African could provide the needed labor to pump up the European economies.

Technological Advancements: The Age of Exploration

In a nutshell, this paper has seen that technological improvements greatly enhanced the capabilities of the European powers in probing and dissecting the African interior. Better maps and compasses, better steamship construction and innovations in the medical and communication fields were significant in allowing one to stage trips of exploration, and thus make it easier to subdue territories and rule over distant colonies.

Social factors also played on the enthusiasm for launching an expedition. European explorers and adventurers were in search of fame and gains, apart from fame. Hear what Africans were rich and that there were large areas there that had not been explored by Europeans, these reports stirred the European public and compelled governments to enthusiastically support colonization.

The Trigger: Competition and Conflict

During the invasion of African by the European powers, there were sure to be clashes irrespective of the degree of the colonial powers, especially where the boundaries of the colony were ill-defined or where the boundaries of the colony overlapped. Issues of trading rights, land ownership and control of strategic ports emerged, resulting to diplomatic conflicts that may lead to full scale wars.

Further competition heightened when, through the International Protocol signed in 1884-1885 excluding the Congo Basin as a free zone for all, the Belgians under King Leopold II got a legal way of formalizing their occupation of Congo in the pretext of promoting humanitarianism . This worried the other nations since they saw themselves as being out competed in the conquest of the African territories.

Humanitarian Motivations: A Replica of Imperial Intentions

It is therefore important to note that many of these governments portrayed their colonialism as civilizing missions where they meant to spread civilization, Christianity or humanitarianism in establishing colonies for the purpose of abolishing the slave trade and encouraging commerce however most of these reasons were mere disguises for the intention to gain territories and resources.

For instance, humanitarian concern that King Leopold II used to prop up the authority over the Congo Basin was a cover for the actual policy of exploitation and enslavement of the native population. However, such a rhetoric was typical for creating a discursive veil that would mask colonial occupation and mobilise the people in support of imperialism.

The Berlin Conference: Establishing Rules for Africa

With regard to these preconditions of competition and intragroup struggles and against this background, the Bismarck-inspired Berlin Conference of 1884 /1885 took place. This grand quadrennial scholarly event sought to both define and normalize the European colonisation of Africa, as well as dampen the looming conflict and bring some sense of organization into what was, increasingly, a very colonial endeavor.

Clauses and Agreements: The New Map of Africa, or dividing Africa Among the Powers Clearly Explained

The said conference assembled all representative of all the European powers such as Britain; France; Germany; Portugal and Belgium; United States and more so in respect to the future of Africa. Most importantly, none of the Africans was involved during these discussions.

A main achievement of the Berlin Conference was the confirmation of European colonization on the African continent, which gave legal rights to already existing occupation and determined the future division of the zones. They deliberately partitioned the continent into regions, provinces, districts, and so on based on colonial convenience disregarding cultural, tribal, historical, linguistic or any other natural African groupings.

Additionally, the conference set some guidelines that can dictate European behaviour in their African territories. These rules were to stop exporting associative Africa slaves, encouraging missionaries, free trade, and the acquisition of territories with acceptable norms of civilized conduct respecting native customs and usages in practice, at least on paper.

Negative Impact and Systemic Effects

The objectives of the Berlin Conference were to place some order in the scramble for Africa and to prevent hostile confrontation among the European nations but the effect of their decisions on the future of the African communities were not fully visualized. Battles and lines drawn during the conference not only influenced social relations of people but also provoked new conflicts and struggle for freedom.

In African territories, Europeans further dominated them and in the process were involved in exploitation of the resources of the territories without regard to the people of the territories. Even as self-determination questions were not properly debated and addressed in the conference, the Africans’ interests and rights were poorly protected.

Conclusion

The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 was fashioned out of the entangled economic, technological and geographical interests of European imperialists resulting in the ‘Scramble for Africa’. It gave Europe the forum for diplomacy and justified their carving out of the African continent for many of the subsequent decades.

However, they shown that EU Africans relations where polarized by power relationships where Europeans dominated Africans and use force in making Africa submit to their rule thus leading to independence struggles in Africa. This paper showed that an appreciation of all the conditions that culminated in the Berlin Conference makes people understand the historical background and events that surrounded one of the most crucial and devastating episodes in Africa’s history.