, PLEASE USE THIS DOCUMENT AS A GUIDE ONLY
Question 1
1. As outlined in Study Unit 5, critically discuss the reasons why the African continent was
colonized and partitioned. In your answer pay particular attention to the factors which
contributed towards the “Scramble for Africa” as well as a comprehensive explanation of the
“Scramble for Africa.”
The Colonisation and Partition of Africa: An Analysis of the Scramble
Introduction
The colonisation and subsequent partition of the African continent by European powers during the
last quarter of the nineteenth century represents one of the most significant transformations in
African history. Within a remarkably brief period, approximately ninety percent of the continent
transitioned from indigenous rule to European colonial domination [citation:APC1501, Study Guide,
p. 27]. This process, commonly referred to as the "Scramble for Africa," fundamentally reshaped the
political, economic, and social landscape of the continent, creating legacies that persist to the present
day. Understanding the reasons behind this rapid colonisation requires careful examination of the
complex interplay between European domestic politics, economic imperatives, technological
developments, and the strategic calculations of the major imperial powers. As Boahen (1987)
emphasises, the scramble was a worldwide phenomenon involving Southeast Asia, including Burma,
Indochina, Malaya, Java, Sumatra, and the Philippines, suggesting that Africa's partition must be
understood within a broader global context of imperial expansion [citation:APC1501, Study Guide, p.
33].
The European Presence in Africa Before the Scramble
Before examining the factors that precipitated the Scramble, it is essential to recognise that European
involvement in Africa predated the formal partition by several centuries. European powers had
maintained trading stations, coastal colonies, and posts along the African coast well before the Berlin
Conference of 1884-85 [citation:APC1501, Study Guide, p. 29]. The Portuguese, for instance,
established a colony in present-day Angola around 1700, while the Dutch founded a trading station
at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. The French established a presence at Saint Louis in Senegal in
1659 [citation:APC1501, Study Guide, p. 30]. These early European settlements were primarily
coastal and did not involve significant territorial control over the interior. The boundaries of these
possessions remained ill-defined on the ground, and European influence was largely limited to
coastal regions where trade, particularly the slave trade, flourished.
The slave trade itself had devastating effects on African societies from the end of the fifteenth
century, involving the forced recruitment of millions of Africans who were transported to various
destinations. Schraeder (2000) identifies four major trade networks that specialised in the export of
African slaves: the Atlantic slave trade, which shipped slaves to the Americas and the Caribbean; the
trans-Saharan slave trade to Mediterranean coastal regions; the Red Sea slave trade to the Middle
East and South Asia; and the Swahili coast slave trade to Indian Ocean islands and Southeast Asia
[citation:APC1501, Study Guide, p. 30]. The height of this trade occurred during the eighteenth
century, when between 6.1 and 8.8 million Africans were uprooted [citation:APC1501, Study Guide,
p. 30]. This forced removal of millions of people had profound implications for African development,
including the deprivation of skills and political, economic, and social dislocation.
Question 1
1. As outlined in Study Unit 5, critically discuss the reasons why the African continent was
colonized and partitioned. In your answer pay particular attention to the factors which
contributed towards the “Scramble for Africa” as well as a comprehensive explanation of the
“Scramble for Africa.”
The Colonisation and Partition of Africa: An Analysis of the Scramble
Introduction
The colonisation and subsequent partition of the African continent by European powers during the
last quarter of the nineteenth century represents one of the most significant transformations in
African history. Within a remarkably brief period, approximately ninety percent of the continent
transitioned from indigenous rule to European colonial domination [citation:APC1501, Study Guide,
p. 27]. This process, commonly referred to as the "Scramble for Africa," fundamentally reshaped the
political, economic, and social landscape of the continent, creating legacies that persist to the present
day. Understanding the reasons behind this rapid colonisation requires careful examination of the
complex interplay between European domestic politics, economic imperatives, technological
developments, and the strategic calculations of the major imperial powers. As Boahen (1987)
emphasises, the scramble was a worldwide phenomenon involving Southeast Asia, including Burma,
Indochina, Malaya, Java, Sumatra, and the Philippines, suggesting that Africa's partition must be
understood within a broader global context of imperial expansion [citation:APC1501, Study Guide, p.
33].
The European Presence in Africa Before the Scramble
Before examining the factors that precipitated the Scramble, it is essential to recognise that European
involvement in Africa predated the formal partition by several centuries. European powers had
maintained trading stations, coastal colonies, and posts along the African coast well before the Berlin
Conference of 1884-85 [citation:APC1501, Study Guide, p. 29]. The Portuguese, for instance,
established a colony in present-day Angola around 1700, while the Dutch founded a trading station
at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. The French established a presence at Saint Louis in Senegal in
1659 [citation:APC1501, Study Guide, p. 30]. These early European settlements were primarily
coastal and did not involve significant territorial control over the interior. The boundaries of these
possessions remained ill-defined on the ground, and European influence was largely limited to
coastal regions where trade, particularly the slave trade, flourished.
The slave trade itself had devastating effects on African societies from the end of the fifteenth
century, involving the forced recruitment of millions of Africans who were transported to various
destinations. Schraeder (2000) identifies four major trade networks that specialised in the export of
African slaves: the Atlantic slave trade, which shipped slaves to the Americas and the Caribbean; the
trans-Saharan slave trade to Mediterranean coastal regions; the Red Sea slave trade to the Middle
East and South Asia; and the Swahili coast slave trade to Indian Ocean islands and Southeast Asia
[citation:APC1501, Study Guide, p. 30]. The height of this trade occurred during the eighteenth
century, when between 6.1 and 8.8 million Africans were uprooted [citation:APC1501, Study Guide,
p. 30]. This forced removal of millions of people had profound implications for African development,
including the deprivation of skills and political, economic, and social dislocation.
