In the race of European imperialism, European countries dominated innocent African colonies. The driving force behind this? Africa’s bountiful resources.
Before Africa’s colonization, the European presence in Africa was extremely limited, mainly due to lack of exploration and diseases (Background Essay). However, this changed as European prominence became largely influential through the discovery of Africa’s resource rich lands.
In the early 1880s, King Leopold of Belgium secured about 900,000 square miles of African land (Background Essay). Leopold’s industries were successful producing tires, electrical insulation, soap, handles, and more (Document D), while his managers killed nearly 10 million Africans through forced labor, mistreatment, and diseases. This was the beginning of European imperialism.
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Consequently, these countries now controlled the resources found in their respective colonies. European industries, especially those of food, textiles, and automotive, significantly benefited from Africa’s plentiful cotton, palm oil, sugar, metals, rubber, and so on (Document D). Several countries, such as Great Britain, would profit over $20 million yearly in exports following African colonization (Document E).
Gaining abundant resources through the colonization of Africa was essential for European industries to survive economically. Africa’s resources were the principal factor that drove European