HSY2602
Assignment 3 Semester 1 2025
Unique Number:
Due Date: 22 April 2025
Study Unit 4: The scramble for Africa
'The bringing of "civilization", religion and infrastructure were key factors that
motivated the Scramble for Africa. As a result, European imperialism can be seen as
being largely beneficial for the African continent'. Do you agree with this statement?
Substantiate your examples drawn from the various territories in Africa that came
under the European rule. HSY2602 Study Guide, Pages: 253-294; 298-320
RETHINKING THE LEGACY OF EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA: CIVILISATION,
RELIGION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SCRAMBLE FOR
AFRICA
1 INTRODUCTION
Between 1884 and 1914 European powers partitioned almost the entire African continent in
what contemporaries dubbed the ―Scramble for Africa‖. Pro-imperialist writers argued—and
some still maintain—that the conquest brought civilisation, Christianity and modern
infrastructure, and was therefore broadly beneficial to Africans. This essay contests that
view. While civilising rhetoric framed many official pronouncements, the underlying drivers of
DISCLAIMER & TERMS OF USE
Educational Aid: These study notes are intended to be used as educational resources and should not be seen as a
replacement for individual research, critical analysis, or professional consultation. Students are encouraged to perform
their own research and seek advice from their instructors or academic advisors for specific assignment guidelines.
Personal Responsibility: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information in
these study notes, the seller does not guarantee the completeness or correctness of all content. The buyer is
responsible for verifying the accuracy of the information and exercising their own judgment when applying it to their
assignments.
Academic Integrity: It is essential for students to maintain academic integrity and follow their institution's policies
regarding plagiarism, citation, and referencing. These study notes should be used as learning tools and sources of
inspiration. Any direct reproduction of the content without proper citation and acknowledgment may be considered
academic misconduct.
Limited Liability: The seller shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, losses, or consequences arising from
the use of these notes. This includes, but is not limited to, poor academic performance, penalties, or any other negative
consequences resulting from the application or misuse of the information provided.
, For additional support +27 81 278 3372
Study Unit 4: The scramble for Africa
'The bringing of "civilization", religion and infrastructure were key factors that
motivated the Scramble for Africa. As a result, European imperialism can be
seen as being largely beneficial for the African continent'. Do you agree with
this statement? Substantiate your examples drawn from the various territories
in Africa that came under the European rule. HSY2602 Study Guide, Pages:
253-294; 298-320
RETHINKING THE LEGACY OF EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA:
CIVILISATION, RELIGION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA
1 INTRODUCTION
Between 1884 and 1914 European powers partitioned almost the entire African
continent in what contemporaries dubbed the ―Scramble for Africa‖. Pro-imperialist
writers argued—and some still maintain—that the conquest brought civilisation,
Christianity and modern infrastructure, and was therefore broadly beneficial to
Africans. This essay contests that view. While civilising rhetoric framed many official
pronouncements, the underlying drivers of the Scramble were overwhelmingly
strategic and economic. Where roads, railways and missionary schools were
introduced, they served imperial extraction first and African welfare only
incidentally. Using examples from French West Africa, the Congo Free State, Egypt,
Nigeria and German East Africa, the discussion shows that the costs of conquest—
violent dispossession, forced labour, ecological damage and the destruction of
pre-colonial polities—far outweighed any limited gains.
2 STATED MOTIVES VERSUS STRUCTURAL DRIVERS
2.1 The Language of “Civilisation” and Christianity
European politicians and missionaries frequently justified expansion by invoking a
moral duty to ―uplift‖ supposedly backward peoples (Curtin 1964:287). Lord Lugard‘s
celebrated Dual Mandate insisted that Britain was in Africa ―for the mutual benefit of
, For additional support +27 81 278 3372
her own industrial classes and of the native races‖ (Lugard 1971:308). Mission
societies framed evangelisation as liberation from slavery and superstition, and
anti-slavery conferences in Brussels (1889–90) clothed Leopold II‘s designs on the
Congo in humanitarian garb.
2.2 Economic and Strategic Imperatives
Behind idealistic language lay hard calculus. European industry, buffeted by the
―Great Depression‖ of 1873-1896, sought new markets for manufactured goods and
a dependable supply of rubber, cotton, palm oil and copper
(Hopkins 1973:157-161). Chartered companies such as the Royal Niger Company or
the British South Africa Company aimed to secure monopolies, not philanthropic
partnerships. Strategic considerations were equally salient: Britain occupied Egypt in
1882 primarily to safeguard the Suez Canal and its route to India
(Hopkins 1986:368). Military advances—steam transport, the breech-loading rifle
and, after 1884, the Maxim gun—lowered the cost of conquest and tipped the
balance decisively in Europe‘s favour (Chamberlain 1973:22).
3 CASE STUDIES: PROMISED BENEFITS AND LIVED REALITIES
3.1 French West Africa: Railways for Commerce, Not African Mobility
Governor Brière de l‘Isle‘s forward policy on the Senegal River (1876-81)
championed rail links from Dakar to the Niger as a ―civilising‖ artery. Yet the Dakar–
Saint-Louis line was financed by metropolitan chambers of commerce to speed
peanut exports, while forced labour regimes (the corvée) supplied track workers until
1946 (Crowder 1968:211). African farmers paid hut taxes to service railway debts but
rarely gained affordable transport or political voice.
3.2 Congo Free State: Humanitarian Veneer and Rubber Terror
Leopold II‘s Congo Free State exemplifies the chasm between rhetoric and
reality. His 1885 charter pledged to suppress slavery and guarantee ―free
trade‖. Instead, concession companies carved out private fiefdoms, compelling
villagers to collect wild rubber under threat of mutilation or death—atrocities widely
documented by E.D. Morel and missionary whistle-blowers
Assignment 3 Semester 1 2025
Unique Number:
Due Date: 22 April 2025
Study Unit 4: The scramble for Africa
'The bringing of "civilization", religion and infrastructure were key factors that
motivated the Scramble for Africa. As a result, European imperialism can be seen as
being largely beneficial for the African continent'. Do you agree with this statement?
Substantiate your examples drawn from the various territories in Africa that came
under the European rule. HSY2602 Study Guide, Pages: 253-294; 298-320
RETHINKING THE LEGACY OF EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA: CIVILISATION,
RELIGION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SCRAMBLE FOR
AFRICA
1 INTRODUCTION
Between 1884 and 1914 European powers partitioned almost the entire African continent in
what contemporaries dubbed the ―Scramble for Africa‖. Pro-imperialist writers argued—and
some still maintain—that the conquest brought civilisation, Christianity and modern
infrastructure, and was therefore broadly beneficial to Africans. This essay contests that
view. While civilising rhetoric framed many official pronouncements, the underlying drivers of
DISCLAIMER & TERMS OF USE
Educational Aid: These study notes are intended to be used as educational resources and should not be seen as a
replacement for individual research, critical analysis, or professional consultation. Students are encouraged to perform
their own research and seek advice from their instructors or academic advisors for specific assignment guidelines.
Personal Responsibility: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information in
these study notes, the seller does not guarantee the completeness or correctness of all content. The buyer is
responsible for verifying the accuracy of the information and exercising their own judgment when applying it to their
assignments.
Academic Integrity: It is essential for students to maintain academic integrity and follow their institution's policies
regarding plagiarism, citation, and referencing. These study notes should be used as learning tools and sources of
inspiration. Any direct reproduction of the content without proper citation and acknowledgment may be considered
academic misconduct.
Limited Liability: The seller shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, losses, or consequences arising from
the use of these notes. This includes, but is not limited to, poor academic performance, penalties, or any other negative
consequences resulting from the application or misuse of the information provided.
, For additional support +27 81 278 3372
Study Unit 4: The scramble for Africa
'The bringing of "civilization", religion and infrastructure were key factors that
motivated the Scramble for Africa. As a result, European imperialism can be
seen as being largely beneficial for the African continent'. Do you agree with
this statement? Substantiate your examples drawn from the various territories
in Africa that came under the European rule. HSY2602 Study Guide, Pages:
253-294; 298-320
RETHINKING THE LEGACY OF EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN AFRICA:
CIVILISATION, RELIGION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA
1 INTRODUCTION
Between 1884 and 1914 European powers partitioned almost the entire African
continent in what contemporaries dubbed the ―Scramble for Africa‖. Pro-imperialist
writers argued—and some still maintain—that the conquest brought civilisation,
Christianity and modern infrastructure, and was therefore broadly beneficial to
Africans. This essay contests that view. While civilising rhetoric framed many official
pronouncements, the underlying drivers of the Scramble were overwhelmingly
strategic and economic. Where roads, railways and missionary schools were
introduced, they served imperial extraction first and African welfare only
incidentally. Using examples from French West Africa, the Congo Free State, Egypt,
Nigeria and German East Africa, the discussion shows that the costs of conquest—
violent dispossession, forced labour, ecological damage and the destruction of
pre-colonial polities—far outweighed any limited gains.
2 STATED MOTIVES VERSUS STRUCTURAL DRIVERS
2.1 The Language of “Civilisation” and Christianity
European politicians and missionaries frequently justified expansion by invoking a
moral duty to ―uplift‖ supposedly backward peoples (Curtin 1964:287). Lord Lugard‘s
celebrated Dual Mandate insisted that Britain was in Africa ―for the mutual benefit of
, For additional support +27 81 278 3372
her own industrial classes and of the native races‖ (Lugard 1971:308). Mission
societies framed evangelisation as liberation from slavery and superstition, and
anti-slavery conferences in Brussels (1889–90) clothed Leopold II‘s designs on the
Congo in humanitarian garb.
2.2 Economic and Strategic Imperatives
Behind idealistic language lay hard calculus. European industry, buffeted by the
―Great Depression‖ of 1873-1896, sought new markets for manufactured goods and
a dependable supply of rubber, cotton, palm oil and copper
(Hopkins 1973:157-161). Chartered companies such as the Royal Niger Company or
the British South Africa Company aimed to secure monopolies, not philanthropic
partnerships. Strategic considerations were equally salient: Britain occupied Egypt in
1882 primarily to safeguard the Suez Canal and its route to India
(Hopkins 1986:368). Military advances—steam transport, the breech-loading rifle
and, after 1884, the Maxim gun—lowered the cost of conquest and tipped the
balance decisively in Europe‘s favour (Chamberlain 1973:22).
3 CASE STUDIES: PROMISED BENEFITS AND LIVED REALITIES
3.1 French West Africa: Railways for Commerce, Not African Mobility
Governor Brière de l‘Isle‘s forward policy on the Senegal River (1876-81)
championed rail links from Dakar to the Niger as a ―civilising‖ artery. Yet the Dakar–
Saint-Louis line was financed by metropolitan chambers of commerce to speed
peanut exports, while forced labour regimes (the corvée) supplied track workers until
1946 (Crowder 1968:211). African farmers paid hut taxes to service railway debts but
rarely gained affordable transport or political voice.
3.2 Congo Free State: Humanitarian Veneer and Rubber Terror
Leopold II‘s Congo Free State exemplifies the chasm between rhetoric and
reality. His 1885 charter pledged to suppress slavery and guarantee ―free
trade‖. Instead, concession companies carved out private fiefdoms, compelling
villagers to collect wild rubber under threat of mutilation or death—atrocities widely
documented by E.D. Morel and missionary whistle-blowers
