Driving Forces of European Imperialism in Africa

This essay will examine the driving forces behind European imperialism in Africa during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It will explore factors such as economic interests, national prestige, competition among European powers, and cultural motivations like the spread of Christianity and the belief in European superiority. The piece will also discuss the impact of technological advances and the scramble for Africa, analyzing how these factors collectively fueled European expansionism on the continent. Moreover, at PapersOwl, there are additional free essay samples connected to Africa.

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Africa, a nation is rich in natural beauty, natural resources, and oil. It’s home to 1.2 billion people in 2017. But the effects of European imperialism in the late 1870s can be seen today, in the present day. But what were some of the driving forces of Europe imperialism in Africa? The driving force of European Imperialism in Africa Attributes to the resources, power, and national Darwinism/nationality. As the article, “Effect of Colonialism on Africa’s Past and Present” It brings up a quote from Edem Kodjo, author of the book, Africa’s Tomorrow.

The article states, “the book describes the condition of Africa Has, ‘torn away from his past, propelled into a universe fashioned from outside that suppresses his values, and dumbfounded by a cultural invasion that marginalizes him. The African,… is today the deformed image of others.'”

Europeans saw that Africa had many natural resources, and in the need/desire for the resources, Europe went to imperialise Africa(as shown on the chart to the right). In the article, “What was the driving force behind European imperialism in Africa,” stated, between 1500 and 1800, Europeans slavery and traders didn’t venture far from Africa coast.” This was because of the incurable disease at the time, Malaria. And even during that time, imperializing or even having colonies was the main motive for Europe. It wasn’t until after the banning of taking African people to become slaves, only then did that get, “Europe’s interest in Africa was Exploration.” This later lead Europeans to notice that Africa had a large number of natural resources that could be taken from Africa to make money. These events lead to the ‘Scramble for Africa’. But since the European countries did not want war amongst each other, they held the ‘Berlin Conference,’ from 1884-1885. (The table above shows a few examples of what European countries got). The European nations took Africa and divided up into pieces for themselves. Inviting everyone they who wanted Africa.Except for those from Africa. Thus the imperialization of Africa began. Countries of Europe were now taking Africa for themselves. With this came new technologies to help gather more of the resources faster and doom the once self-sufficient Africa.

As a result of the Scramble for Africa, many European nations saw that they could become more powerful than their surrounding nations. The want for power is a driving force of the European Imperialization in Africa. As the nations took Africa’s resources and sold it, many nations saw it as a way to gain power over their neighboring nations. Not only would they have power in Africa and their own countries but they would have power over their neighbors. The more they would take out of Africa, the more they could sell to countries in Europe, which will start relying on them for that special source. In document B, we are given two poems or literature that talks from the British and Germans view. They both state the word ‘power.’ From the English perspective, “their first aim is to be to advance the power of England by land and by sea.” and we later see from the German perspective, they, “wish to prove and maintain its newly won position of power for a long time,” The countries are willing to show that they are more powerful, more advanced, than the other nations. To do this, they must take as much as they can from Africa. The lust for Power has driven them to steal from Africa.

With the want of power from resources, the European imperialism quickly leads the nations to Nationality or Darwinism. Dictonary.com defines Darwinism as, “the Darwinian theory that species originate by descent, with variation, from parent forms, through the natural selection of those individuals best adapted for the reproductive success of their kind.” In other words, the idea of people being better than everyone else for the reason that they got better traits than everyone. Everyone wanted their country to be the best which drove everyone to take more from Africano matter the cost. In document D we see what county’s got what and how this could affect their economies and others, including Africa. As the other countries bring themselves up, to outdo each other, they bring down Africa.

Many may say that the want for power, resources or the idea of nationalism wasn’t really a driving force for European Imperialism. It was the technology that was brought from the industrial revolution. But they got the concept mixed up I’m afraid. They had weapons and technology before imperializing Africa, but only when they started to ‘explore’ and colonize that they were lead to more advanced technology. The technology wasn’t much of a driving force for European Imperialism but helped the driving forces.

The three main driving forces of the European imperialism were power, resources, and Darwinism. It leads many of the nations to divide Africa for its resources, then to later gain power over each other and prove their better than each other. The effects of imperialism still have its impact on Africa to this day. All starting with the human wants of power, huge amounts of resource and nationalism.

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Home — Essay Samples — History — Imperialism — The Causes of Imperialism in Africa

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The Causes of Imperialism in Africa

  • Categories: African American Imperialism

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Words: 739 |

Published: Mar 18, 2021

Words: 739 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Hook Examples for Imperialism Essay

  • Conquering Nations, Forging Empires: Step into the era of imperialism, where nations extended their dominion across continents, reshaping the world map and altering the course of history.
  • The Dark Side of Empire Building: Delve into the hidden atrocities and ethical dilemmas of imperialism, unearthing the untold stories of oppression, exploitation, and cultural erosion.
  • Explorers or Exploiters? Challenge the notion of imperial explorers as heroic adventurers, and examine their role as agents of exploitation, transforming indigenous societies in their quest for wealth and power.
  • Imperialism’s Legacy: A World Transformed: Trace the enduring impact of imperialism on contemporary geopolitics, economics, and global relations, highlighting the far-reaching consequences of past empires.
  • Resisting Imperial Forces: Uncover the narratives of resistance against imperial powers, where marginalized communities and leaders fought for their sovereignty and cultural preservation.

Works Cited

  • Gallagher, J., & Robinson, R. (1953). The imperialism of free trade. The Economic History Review, 6(1), 1-15.
  • Hobson, J. A. (1902). Imperialism: A Study. London: George Allen & Unwin.
  • Hochschild, A. (1999). King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa. Mariner Books.
  • Osterhammel, J. (2014). The Transformation of the World: A Global History of the Nineteenth Century. Princeton University Press.
  • Headrick, D. R. (2010). Technology: A World History. Oxford University Press.
  • Conrad, J. (1899). Heart of Darkness. Blackwood’s Magazine.
  • DuBois, W. E. B. (1899). The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study. University of Pennsylvania Press.
  • Cain, P. J., & Hopkins, A. G. (2001). British Imperialism: Innovation and Expansion, 1688-1914. Routledge.
  • MacKenzie, J. M. (1984). The Empire of Nature: Hunting, Conservation and British Imperialism. Manchester University Press.
  • Davidson, B. (1991). The Black Man’s Burden: Africa and the Curse of the Nation-State. Three Continents Press.

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what was the driving force behind european imperialism in africa dbq essay

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  1. What Was the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa? DBQ

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  2. PDF 9 Imperialism in Africa

    DBQ 9: Imperialism in Africa. European imperialism in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries resulted in the carving up of areas of Africa and Asia into vast colonial empires. This was true for most of the continent of Africa. As imperialism spread, the colonizer and the colony viewed imperialism differently.

  3. Copy of Africa and Imperialism Mini-Q

    What was the driving force behind European Imperialism in Africa? Read the background essay and answer the background questions. Please write in complete sentences for all responses on this assignment (except vocab). 1. The main reason Europeans did not enter the interior of Africa was because of malaria.

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    The main forces driving European Imperialism in Africa were the capabilities of the European countries' economies and the opportunity for more wealth and money. Prior to imperialism, many European countries already had a good economy, which was an incentive for them to colonize. "Developed in the 1830s and 1840s by Samuel Morse (1791-1872 ...

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    Over all trading was a link to natural resources. Although the driving force behind European Imperialism in Africa was trading slaves, gold, and ivory through the west coast of Africa and was under full assault as European nations competed for control. The Europeans also agreed to certain principles regarding colonization that which included ...

  7. Driving Forces of European Imperialism in Africa

    This essay will examine the driving forces behind European imperialism in Africa during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It will explore factors such as economic interests, national prestige, competition among European powers, and cultural motivations like the spread of Christianity and the belief in European superiority.

  8. DBQ: What Was the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa

    A trading system in which goods and humans moved between the colonies, Africa and England. Provided labor on colonial plantations. international trade left to its natural course without tariffs, quotas, or other restrictions. A document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study.

  9. PDF What Was the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism

    old, and ivory along the west coast of Africa, but they did not go deeply into the continent. In the 1800s this ch. nged as European explorers pushed their way into the interiors of western and central Africa. By the 1880s Africa was. nder full assault as European nations competed with one another for control of the continent. This Mini-Q t.

  10. D'asya Lowery

    What Was the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa? Between 1500 and 1800, European slavers and traders did not venture far from the African coast. The west coast of Africa from the Senegal River to Angola was known as "the white man's grave." Malaria was the biggest killer and crews often stayed on ship when trading their European pots and cloth and guns for West African slaves.

  11. Dbq Imperialism Essay

    Dbq Imperialism In Africa. The definition of imperialism is an action by a strong nation to take control of another country. According to CDC Malaria is a "mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite". Between the late 1500's and the early 1800's Europeans didn't enter Africa, because of the disease malaria.

  12. Imperialism In Africa Dbq

    The word imperialism is the act of fully taking over a country. I have three main reasons for the driving force behind European imperialism in Africa: get materials, national competition and to gain more power. The main reason was so that Europeans can gain more power. One of the main reasons behind imperialism in Africa is to get materials.

  13. European Imperialism Dbq

    In addition, Document C is a chart that presents inventions and discoveries that aided European colonizers in taking over Africa. The purpose of this document was to display European advancement and the utilities which were brought about by the acquisition of raw materials, which allowed them to travel further into Africa, take control, and continue the process of harvesting their raw materials.

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    DBQ: Imperialism in Africa. Throughout world history, the issue of imperialism has played a pivotal role in shaping the coarse of events. Despite European nations arriving in Africa being a huge aid for Europeans, Europeans managed to make more repercussions than benefits for African nations in the nineteenth century, because the Europeans took ...

  15. Causes of Imperialism in Africa

    The driving forces behind European imperialism in Africa was the Partitions of Africa, African Colonies and their exports, and Great Britain and south Saharan Africa imports and exports. During the 1800's Africa was under many European colonies rule and certain colonies used very cruel punishments for the natives that lived there.

  16. Essay On Imperialism In Africa

    Europe takes advantage of Africa. The main driving forces behind European Imperialism consisted of three fundamental factors which included Political, Technological, and Economic. The way these three components are involved in the driving force because they all helped shape and push everything together to make more efficient.

  17. The Causes of Imperialism in Africa

    Cultural motives helped drive imperialism because one of the causes for European imperialism was so Europeans can help Africans from what they suffer from. This is the result of Kiplings' order to the people to help the natives and serve them. The primary driving force behind European imperialism was economics (usage and formation of money).

  18. History Imperialism Africa DBQ Flashcards

    What Was the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa? DBQ. 43 terms. Lillian_Carothers9. Preview. DBQ 19: Causes of World War I. 13 terms. A_COU. Preview. ... Park was a Scotsman who gave his life in 1806 due to how dedicated he was to investigate the Niger River region in West Africa. He is connected to imperialism because it shows ...

  19. Imperialism In Africa Dbq

    Imperialism In Africa Dbq. Europe had many driving forces behind starting Imperialism in Africa. The European country wanted to take their power over to Africa, they wanted nationalism, profit, and lastly they wanted to explore new cultures and hopefully spread their culture to other areas of the world. Nationalism is very important, it helped ...

  20. What Was The Driving Force Behind Imperialism In Africa

    Europe enacted imperialism on Africa for resources,land,and power. Resources,they carry a country financially.A big driving force for imperialism at the time was resources,and Africa just so happened to have an abundance of them.Ranging from diamonds to slave labour ,Africa was a gold mine in the eyes of the Europeans.Proof of this is the.

  21. European Imperialism Africa Dbq

    Driving Force Behind European Imperialism In Africa 478 Words | 2 Pages. Founded in document D African colonies and their exports. Economic factors were more of a driving force behind imperialism since the imperialists were in search of natural resources for improving technology and their national pride.