Scramble for Africa

Published on 25 Oct 2025

The Scramble for Africa, led by seven Western European powers, was a period of intense colonization and division of the continent during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By 1914, nearly 90% of Africa had come under European control, with only Liberia and Ethiopia remaining independent.

Characteristics

Colonial Conquests: European powers aggressively expanded their colonial empires by occupying and annexing African territories.

Example: The British conquest of Egypt in the 1880s, which allowed Britain to control the vital Suez Canal.

Berlin Conference (1884-1885): Convened by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, European powers divided Africa among themselves, setting colonial boundaries with little regard for the existing ethnic, cultural, or territorial realities in Africa.

Example: The division of the Congo Basin

Establishment of Colonial Administrations: They imposed their legal, economic, and political systems on African societies.

Example: The establishment of French colonial administration in Algeria, which led to French language and culture being imposed on the Algerian population.

Economic Exploitation: Colonizers exploited Africa's vast resources, including minerals, rubber, timber, and agricultural products.

Example: The extraction of diamonds and gold in South Africa by British and Dutch settlers, led to the formation of British colonies like the Cape Colony.

Forced Labor and Exploitation: Indigenous Africans were subjected to forced labour systems.

Example: The brutal exploitation of labour in the rubber industry in the Congo, led to widespread suffering and loss of life.

Infrastructure Development: European colonial powers invested in infrastructure development such as railways, roads, and ports to facilitate the extraction and transportation of resources.
Cultural and Religious Changes: European missionaries played a role in spreading Christianity and Western education in Africa.
Resistance Movements: African resistance to colonization took various forms.

Example: Notable resistance leaders and movements included Samori Touré in West Africa, the Mahdist movement in Sudan, and the Maji Maji Rebellion in East Africa.

Division of Africa: Division of Africa into numerous colonies, often with arbitrary borders.

Example: The arbitrary drawing of borders in East Africa, separating ethnic groups and leading to tensions in countries like Kenya and Tanzania.

Legacy of Conflict: The arbitrary colonial borders led to conflicts among different ethnic and tribal groups.

Example: Ethnic conflicts in Rwanda between the Hutu and Tutsi peoples, which were exacerbated by colonial policies.

Nationalist Movements: Over time, Africans began to resist colonial rule and demand independence.

Example: Kwame Nkrumah's leadership in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), which culminated in Ghana's independence in 1957.

Post-Colonial Era: The Scramble for Africa eventually gave way to the process of decolonization, in which African nations gained independence from colonial rule.

Example: Nigeria's independence from Britain in 1960, marked the beginning of a wave of African countries gaining independence in the decades that followed.