Download The Scramble for Africa: The History and Legacy of the Colonization of Africa by European Nations During the New Imperialism Era AudioBook Free
The British South-African Company's shares May be at a discount - (Trade-martyrs! - trade-martyrs!) But he, our Colossus, strides on, he declares, Whether with or without chums or charters - or charters. Hooray! We brave Britons are right now to the front - Provided we've someone to boss us - to manager us; And Scuttlers will have their work trim out to shunt This stalwart, far-striding Colossus - Colossus! -Excerpt from an editorial in Punch, Dec 10, 1892 The modern record of Africa was, until very lately, written with respect to the indigenous races by the white man, who possessed forcefully moved into the continent throughout a particularly hubristic and strong phase of European record. In 1884, Prince Otto von Bismark, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major forces of Europe along, to cope with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of warfare. This event - known as the Berlin Convention of 1884-1885 - galvanized a trend that came to be known as the Scramble for Africa. The meeting established two important rules for European seizure of Africa. The first of these was that no acceptance of annexation would be granted without evidence of a practical occupation, and the next, that a sensible occupation would be regarded unlawful without a formal appeal for cover made with respect to a territory by its innovator, a plea that must definitely be committed to paper in the form of a legal treaty. This started a dash, spearheaded mainly by European commercial interests in the form of Chartered Companies, to penetrate the African interior and woo its authority with guns, trinkets, and alcohol, and having thus obtained their markings or seals after spurious treaties, get started establishing boundaries of future European African colonies. The easiness with which this is achieved was due to the fact that, at that point, traditional African authority was disunited, and individuals possessed just staggered back again from decades of concussion inflicted by the slave trade. Thus, to usurp expert, to intimidate an already cracked society, and play one innovator contrary to the other was a diplomatic activity so childishly simple, the matter was wrapped up, generally, in under a decade.
