[Music] good day and welcome today we're continuing our series on an important topic in history the European colonization of Africa in the late 19th century we'll explore the causes of colonization and examine why European powers were able to colonize Africa so quickly we'll look at the key factors that facilitated this rapid colonization and how it shaped the continent's history for more on the Scramble for Africa please check out the links in the description stick around until the end for some thought-provoking questions to test your understanding challenge yourself and see how well you've grasped the material it's a fantastic way to boost your confidence please do not forget to like And subscribe so that you do not miss our weekly uploads let's get started in the early 1800s European presence in Africa was largely confined to coastal regions primarily used as trading posts and hubs for the transatlantic slave trade European powers including the British French Portuguese and Dutch established Forts and small settlements along the West African Coast engaging in trade with local African kingdoms by the mid 1800s a convergence of factors led these European powers to shift their focus us from the coastal regions to the vast and largely Uncharted interior of the African continent this period marked the beginning of what would later be known as the Scramble for Africa Europeans competed fervently to colonize Africa such that by 1914 all of Africa was colonized except for Ethiopia and Liberia but what caused European powers to race to colonize Africa in the 19th century there were several reasons for this the colonization of Africa in the 19th century was driven by a complex interplay of economic political social and technological factors capitalism was a primary driver as the industrial revolution in Europe created a voracious need for raw materials to fuel factories and new markets to absorb the surplus of manufactured goods Africa's abundant minerals and agricultural potential made it a target for exploit Europeans forc locals to produce cash crops like coffee Ivory cotton cocoa vegetable oil and rubber and to mine gold and diamonds the goods produced in Europe such as cloth clothing alcohol guns and knives found new markets in the colonies ensuring profits for European Traders and manufacturers imperialism was also a key motivator fueled by nationalism European nations viewed the possession of colonies as a symbol of their National importance and Prestige the unification of Germany and Italy had left no more small European states to be taken over by stronger powers leading the major powers to look towards Africa to expand their influence and increase their Prestige racism and Christianity played significant roles as well many Europeans believed in their racial superiority and thought it was their duty to C iiz Africans who they viewed as primitive many Europeans believed that God created them superior to the Africans they believed that God wanted them to civilize Africans they introduced Christianity to try and change the Africans primitive ways many also believed that the Africans did not deserve their fertile land and mineral wealth because they were too inferior this racism beliefs were supported by Christian missionaries who sought to end practices like slavery which persisted in some African regions and to convert Africans to Christianity they saw colonization as a means to spread their religion and moral values political rivalries among European nations also spurred the Scramble for Africa each country sought to colonize as many African States as possible to become more powerful than their Rivals thereby enhancing their own Global influence explor ation was another Factor initially driven by a desire for adventure and Discovery European exploration of Africa eventually turned into a desire for control over the continent's riches medical technology and advancement also facilitated colonization before colonization many Europeans were afraid to visit Africa because of malaria when a treatment for malaria was found a drug called quinine European deaths from malaria dropped by 80% this meant Europeans could live in Africa and could send armies where they could not go previously military development further enabled European Conquest the development of superior Weaponry ensured that European forces could easily defeat African resistance making colonization possible the abolition of slavery in Europe added another dimension to the push for colonization although slavery had been in Europe it continued in some parts of Africa particularly among some Muslim communities European powers particularly Britain saw colonization as a way to end slavery in these regions and impose their own economic systems in summary the colonization of Africa was driven by a combination of economic greed nationalistic Ambitions racial prejudices religious motivations and technological advancements all compounded by intense political rivalries and a desire for exploration and adventure in 1884 when the Berlin Conference was held 80% of Africa was still controlled by African people but just 30 Years Later by 1914 almost all of Africa was taken over by European countries except for Ethiopia and Liberia this huge change happened very quickly and was caused by many different reasons the European powers were able to take control of Africa so fast because they were very determined and used many different strategies to succeed but what explains this rapid takeover of African territory these are the reasons that explain the rapid colonization of Africa one the after effects of the slave trade over the previous three centuries more than 7 million Africans had been taken as slaves these individuals were generally fit and healthy young people whose absence had a long-term impact on Africa's economy the loss of such a significant portion of the population weakened African societies and economies making them more vulnerable to external pressures and exploitation two the military advances in Europe the colonial Powers often took control of land that belonged to other people using force and violence this was especially true in East Africa where colonialists used their armies to establish rule European countries had Advanced weapons compared to those used by African States for a long time European Traders had sold guns and gunpowder to local Chiefs and Kings during the Industrial Revolution European inventors and factories produced more effective weapons than the ones they were selling to Africa one of the deadliest weapons was the Maxim gun invented in the 1880s the Maxim gun could fire 100 rounds in the time it took to load and fire an older gun and it was estimated to fire 11 bullets a second European countries agreed not to sell the Maxim gun to Africans putting them at a significant disadvantage against the colonizing countries three competition between African leaders just like leaders of European countries African leaders also competed with each other to be rich and Powerful European colonizers were sometimes able to persuade some African leaders to side with them against other African leaders European powers sign treaties and agreements with African Chiefs that would give the Chiefs some benefits like guns or money if they helped the colonial powers to establish themselves in Africa sometimes they were able to convince Chiefs that their people would benefit under colonial rule including siding with them against an enemy they often gave the Chiefs and Kings gifts as a bribe for natural disasters at the end of the 1800s natural disasters in many parts of Africa weakened the Africans ability to resist European colonization these disasters included droughts that led to food shortages as crops and animals died locusts destroyed crops and diseases like rinder pest killed large numbers of cattle leading to malnutrition for thousands of Africans this was a serious problem in South Africa five new diseases in the 1890s Africa was affected by outbreaks of small pox Europe had experienced outbreaks of small pox over many centuries and those who survived developed immunity to the disease when Europeans arrived in Africa Africans were exposed to small poox and other similar diseases the African population had no immunity to it and thousands became sick and died further weakening their societies six explorers and adventurers many Europeans were attracted to Africa as settlers because of the stories spread by explorers figures like speak and Stanley exaggerated their reports to their governments describing the continent's Lakes mineral wealth climate and mountains settlers were often given land to farm and they introduced commercial agriculture generating income for the colonial Powers seven missionaries Christian missionaries preached about love and Brotherhood but they also convinced many Africans who converted to Christianity that it was a sin to fight against the colonial powers and settlers this weakened resistance and facilitated colonization eight new boundaries when the map of Africa was redrawn at the Berlin Conference this caused disunity among Africans they often found themselves living in a colony with traditional enemies while members of the same tribal group or Clan were part of a different Colony sometimes under a different colonial power this was a divide and Rule strategy that weakened opposition and resistance and made colonization easier nine infrastructure Europeans use technology to build roads and Railways which could be used to transport troops quickly to Quil uprisings steam engines railroads and the telegraph allowed Europeans to move further into Africa while keeping in touch with their home countries all these methods were used at different times and places during the colonization of Africa some regions are extensive military use While others were less affected by disease each African state has its own history but the methods listed above appeared to a greater or less lesser extent in all of them we've come to the end of today's video before we wrap up please try to answer the following questions you can pause the video as needed this section is crucial for reinforcing what you've learned in the next video we'll explore the results of colonization join us next time for an in-depth discussion check the description for the links to more videos don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our weekly uploads thank you for watching and take care [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]