European Imperialism: The Scramble For Africa

The Scramble for Africa After the Agrarian Revolution came to be the age of industry with numerous inventions and ideas spreading throughout Europe and other parts of the world. The overall need of Europeans increased tremendously both in terms of materials and the need for labor and that set the start of the ideas of imperialism in 19th century. Economic motives were a result of Industrial Revolution that were considered as the most important factor in European imperialism. It is also important to note the technological advancements made possible by industries as well as the political power and the acquiring of territories which were not results of the Industrial Revolution.

Economy throughout the era of industry was crucial to the European

Business in their home countries were solely based on competition but the uncivilized regions gave the capitalists new opportunities to set up their businesses in areas with little to no competition involved. Additionally, the increasing numbers of industries in Europe brought the need for raw materials. During the same time, countries like Britain lost control of their western colonies in the Americas and were desperately in need of new colonies to supply them with the needed goods. For this reason, they turned their heads toward the abundant materials and goods in Africa such as cotton, rubber, and petroleum. They were able to quickly set up markets and trading posts in the new African colonies because of Britain’s advanced banking and trading methods as well as cheap labor and new transport technologies. (Documents C and I). Britain’s involvement because of the need for goods triggered the start of imperialism in Africa and was followed by other nations with similar motives. The Industrial Revolution was not all about profits and wealth but it was also about the overproduction of commodities which brought the Great Depression

Malaria that raged through the African continent kept invaders from advancing deeper leading to the development of a new medicine, quinine, (Document G) which was soon used in large amounts enabling Europeans to reach Africa’s Gold Coast, Nigeria, and other parts of West Africa. Without the creation of quinine, Europeans could not manage living in Africa and therefore a vast area would be left safe from their hands. For years, African leaders equipped their armies with guns and modern military techniques that posed a threat to the incoming Europeans. This resulted in reformation of military aspects by the invention of machine gun and innovations in artillery which made them very efficient in eliminating adversaries. (Documents F and H). Soon they were able to easily overthrow African rulers and tribes and turn the majority into slaves. Using the above methods, Europeans easily imperialized African regions and made sure they were being viewed as a superior race in front of the inhabitants. By that time, the industrial age was known as the European Age because they got the new technology first and used it as their advantage. Improvements such as railroads, telegraph lines and underwater cables, and steamships were a few of the innovations that put European countries a step above others. (Documents H and I). The maritime trade had seen a lot of