Colonization of Africa

• Colonization was both a curse and a blessing to Africa. Discuss

Colonization is the act of one country settling in another country and taking it over. European colonization of Africa began in the nineteenth century between the 1870s and 1900. Africa faced European imperialist hostility through slavery, diplomatic pressures, military invasions, and eventual defeat and colonization. At the same time, African societies resisted against the colonization of their countries and imposing of foreign domination. By the early twentieth century, however, much of Africa, except Ethiopia and Liberia, had been colonized by European powers. The European advancement into Africa was mainly motivated by economic, political, and social reasons. Economically, Africa provided additional resources to its controller; the discovery of petroleum in Libya and natural gas in Algeria. As well, colonization resulted in a larger market for domestic businesses. Socially, Europe gained prestige in the European community by owning an empire with more territory. Also, a lot of Europeans made it their mission to bring their civilized values to African. Europeans believed the Africans were living in a primitive and inferior manner. Politically, Africa’s proximity to Europe made travel from those territories less difficult. This sparked the creation of colonial populations and making administrators' trips back more common. Africa also provided strategic positions; it’s located on the Mediterranean Sea. Its control could be used both to stop local piracy and to attack rival ships. For the most part, Egypt and Morocco were strategic positions to hold because of the Suez Canal and Straits of Gibraltar. Colonization was a curse yet a blessing to Africa. Most African societies fought fiercely and bravely to retain control over their countries and societies against European designs and military invasions. But the African societies eventually lost out due to political and business reasons. The...