CHAPTER ONE

EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA

Imperialism is the policy of state aiming at establishing control beyond its borders over people unwilling to accept such control. Because of this unwillingness imperialist policy always involves the use of power against its victims. Therefore the logic of imperialism is power. It does not stand to reason. Power has no limitation. It is a victorious psychology. It longs for conquest.

The term imperialism as defined here dates back to the last half of the 19th century, but the phenomenon it describes is as old as civilization. Ancient and modern imperialisms have in common not only the end but many means. The ancient Roman Empire developed from the imperial strength of Rome vis-à-vis its weak neighbours. The Communist Russia and USA are using their ideological and technological weapons to spread imperialism over the world today.

In the 15th century A.D Portugal and Spain were the two most powerful countries in Europe. It was in order to avoid conflict between them that the Pope by his Bull divided the world into two parts between Spain and Portugal. With the Papal Bull Spain was given a freehand over South America while Portugal was free to colonize Asia without any interruption. But when other powers in Europe lke France, Britain and Holland, felt themselves sufficiently powerful enough to challenge Spain and Portugal, they asked the Pope if God had given the inheritance of the earth to Spain and Portugal alone. This commercial challenge led to the decline of Spain and Portugal, and prepared the

way for the struggle for the mastery of the earth among France, Holland and Britain.

Holland went down. But the world did not change. The struggle continued between the two giants- France and Britain. This battle was fought in the high seas, in continental Europe, in America, in the Far East and lastly but not the least in Africa. Here other European powers emerged and joined in the struggle. This is imperialism or domination of the weaker outside world in its nakedness.

European imperialism in Africa had confirmed the assertion of Bertrand Russell, a world famous philosopher-critic and an opponent of modern war, in his book- The Principles of Social Reconstruction published in 1916 that is during World War I “Much of the vital energy of the world runs into channels which are oppressive. The Germans have shown themselves extra- ordinarily full of vital energy, but unfortunately in a form which seems incompatible with the vitality of its neighbours. Europe in general has more vital energy than Africa, but it has used its energy to drain Africa through industrialism, of even such life as Negroes possessed. The vitality of the Southeastern Europe is being drained to supply cheap labour for the enterprise of American millionaires. The vitality of men had been in the past a hindrance to the development of women, and it is possible that in the near future women may become a similar hindrance to men”. European imperialism was not restricted to Africa only. Towards the end of the 19th century Poland was portioned between Prussia, Austria and Russia. And in Africa British imperialism swallowed even white settlements like the Orange Free State and Transvaal in South Africa.

At this juncture it is pertinent to ask the following questions.

•      What factors led to the imposition of European imperialism on Africa? Why was this successful?

•      What was the African reaction to European conquest?

•      What was the motivation behind the European political and economic policies in Africa?

•      Were European imperialisms the cause of African underdevelopment? Or were they the reasons for the political instability in Africa today?

•      Was European racist theory a mere justification of their imperialism? Or can it be supported by any existing historical and sociological explanations? These are the questions to focus attention on.

FACTORS THAT LED TO THE EUROPEAN COLONIZATION OF AFRICA

The factors that led to European colonization of Africa were political, economic, social and strategic. Before the 1800s the

relationship between African States and European powers was on an equal basis. But as from the beginning of the 19th century, this relationship underwent a dramatic change. The Europeans were no longer contented to trade with the coastal states of Africa. They wanted to occupy and dominate the continent in order to ensure the effective exploitation of Africa in an age of industrialism. European occupation of Africa was carried out with such a haste and speed that it was known as the scramble for and partition of Africa. Before the end of the 1890s the whole of Africa except Liberia and Ethiopia had been divided among the European powers- Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and Belgium.

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