Empire Building

1.What factors were behind the ‘scramble for Africa’ and what impact did it have on the continent? (Be sure to name colonial regimes; discuss motives; colonialism and anti-colonialism in your answer.)

Africa seemed to be an unfavorable landmass during the eighteenth century. Other than the slave trade, there was not much interest in the continent from outside entities. No one wanted to be bothered by Africa until slavery was sought to be unethical, and began to decline. This newfound issue opened the eyes of all nearby settlements. Europeans now saw their opportunity to expand. The scramble for Africa was a hectic challenge between many European colonies during the nineteenth century, to settle land for their countries own personal gain.

Disease, political instability, the lack of transportation, and the generally unhealthy climate all deterred the Europeans from more extensive efforts in Africa (Duiker & Spielvogel, 2010,p. 525). However, now that the slave trade was slowly diminishing, because of humanitarian outrage, the Europeans wanted their presence to be known throughout Africa. Europeans now found interest in the natural resources that Africa had to offer. This export of peanuts, timber, hides and palm oil was sometimes called the legitimate trade. As a substantial increase in growth rose, Europeans then wanted a more stable grasp along the west coast of Africa. Now that the country is appealing, is when everyone wants a slice. The growing European presence in West Africa led to the emergence of a new class of Africans educated in Western culture and often employed by the Europeans (Duiker & Spielvogel, 2010,p. 525). People and product seem to be prosperous in the west coast, at least for now.

In East Africa, they were dancing to the beat of their own drum. Zanzibar was established in 1840 by the sultan of Oman after the fall of Portuguese authority.

The island of Zanzibar was a major shipping port; also, it was the largest slave market in Africa....