ipl-logo

Essay On European Imperialism In Kenya

742 Words3 Pages

European nations began their colonization of Africa in the mid to late 19th century. They were intrigued by Africa's raw materials for industrial success and economic gain, land for settlement, and they also wanted to convert African religion to Christianity. Germany, Britain, France, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal all participated in the scramble for Africa, and competed for African territory. The Berlin Conference took place in 1884-1885 in order to discuss and set rules for the division of Africa. Africans tried to resist colonization but the European nations had success in the end. The Britain colony of Kenya had fought long and hard for their independence over a 62 year period while suffering under Britain control.
Kenya becomes colonized …show more content…

Laws were passed by the colonial government which not only gave European settlers privileges that Africans and Indians didn’t have, but also restricted their rights. These laws segregated housing, public bathrooms, hotels, restaurants, and many more public places. Europeans had more privileges and rights than Africans and Indians due to race. The British governed By indirect rule, which means they govern based on european styles, there's limited self rule, and the goal was to develop future leaders. Because of colonial policies, Africans had limited options for work. Most had to resort to working for European settlers on their farms. Soon enough, one of the biggest conflicts bloomed. Land access became a huge issue in Kenya. The British government started sending groups of Africans to reserves in order to make land more accessible to European settlers. The living conditions in these reserves were not good for Africans. At this point, any African could have been taken off their own land at any time. African people initially resorted to violence to resist britain control and try to gain independence. Groups fought the Britain government's intent to levy taxes, and force them off their land. The British led military campaigns to stop African resistance, which led to Kenya being under military control until the 1920’s when Africans started to form political organizations. In the 1950’s, the Mau Mau revolt began. A group of kikuyus (an african group) came together and initially wanted to peacefully fight for their independence, but soon decided that they wouldn’t get their independence through peace, and then became a violent group. They assasinated Kikuyu civilians who were loyal to the colonial government mainly by setting them on fire. The Mau Mau groups main goal was essentially to drive european settlers out, because they were fed up with the unfair labor, racism, and forced resettlements. As a punishment for the

Open Document