Scramble For Africa Flashcards
(36 cards)
What were the reasons for British expansion in Africa
Trade and the economy, personal influence, Strategic factors, moral factors and other factors
When did British expansion into Africa really accelerate
It wasn’t until the 1890s that British expansion in Africa accelerated
Why was British interest in Egypt revived
Because from 1861 to 64 during the American civil war British mills were starved of raw cotton. Egypt whose cotton was a good quality attracted those who were anxious to find new sources of this vital raw material. British companies invested heavily in the production of the Egyptian cotton, by the 1870s 40% of Egypt’s imports were coming from Britain
When did the khedive (ruler of Egypt) come into power
Ismail Pasha came into power in 1863
What process was Ismail pasha committed to
He was committed to the process of modernisation and he had embarked on a number of projects from irrigation and railways to schools, street lighting and the cutting of the Suex Canal
She was the Suez canal built and how long did it take
It was built in 1869 and it took 10 years to be built by the French
What effect did the Canal have when built
It had a dramatic effect on world trade, reducing the profits of those British traders in the Cape who operated warehouses for the storing of goods
How did the British get some control over the Suez canal
Ismail Pasha was facing increasing debt so he sought a buyer for his countries share in the canal for 4 million so the British PM Disraeli stepped forward. This encouraged further British interest in Egypt and gave them an income from shipping tariffs
Why did Britain have a strong influence in Egypt
Ismail was deposed in 1879 due to economic mismanagement and his son Tewfiq became the new khedive but it was British money and support that kept Egypt afloat. This gave Lord Dufferin the British commissioner considerable influence.
Why was there unrest in Egypt
In order to prop up Egypt’s economy taxes were imposed on Egyptian food and goods and its army was reduced by 2/3s. This increased unemployment and led to a nationalist rebellion under colonel Arabi Pasha. Tewfiq was forced to appoint Arabi’s allies to gov positions who were fiercely anti European and this concerned the British over trade, investment and the 100,000 Europeans living in Egypt.
What happened in 1882 in Egypt
Political tensions spilled out into the streets of Alexandria Egypt where 50 Europeans where killed. There were more revolts across Egypt which convinced PM Gladstone to intervene. British naval forces were sent to bombard Alexandria. Arabi Pasha declared war but the British commander Sir Garnet Wolseley was able to secure the Suez Canal in a battle lasting little over an hour. This enabled the British to retake Cairo and restore Tewfiq as puppet ruler.
How did Britain take further control of Egypt
Evelyn Baring was appointed consul general and Tewfiq was forced to create a gov amenable to Britain, employ British military personnel to supervise his army and rely on British advisors. Britain’s influence over Egypt was confirmed by the 1885 convention of London
What is a veiled protectorate
A state controlled by another in an indirect manner in this case Egypt was a veiled protectorate
What happened in Sudan
Colonel Charles Gordon was sent from Britain to act as Governor General of Egyptian administered Sudan. The British administrators faced opposition from the Sudanese Islamic cleric Muhammad Ahmad who proclaimed himself the Mahdi or saviour of mankind. The self proclaimed Mahdi transformed an emerging political movement into a jihadist army. The Mahdists sought to liberate Sudan from outside rule. By 1882 they had taken complete control over the area surrounding Khartoum. In 1883 a joint Egyptian-British military expedition launched a counter attack against the mahdists in which William Hicks was killed. Gladstone ordered General Gordon to oversee the evacuation of both British and Egyptian troops from Khartoum in 1884 but the British-Egyptian forces defending Khartoum were overrun a year later. Virtually everyone was killed and General Gordon was beheaded
What were some of the reasons Britain was becoming concerned about its position in relation to other European powers
- in 1871 Germany became united as a single country and became a new powerhouse
- France transformed its armed forces and were determined to assert their ‘rightful place’ in the world
- the Russians started to transform their economy extending their control into Central Asia. They also constructed a railway network which the British feared could carry and Army to challenge the British position in India
- the naval building programmes of France and Russia also caused concern in the 1880s
- the french established a foothold in Indo-China in the 1860s
When did the Brussels conference take place and what was decided at the Brussels conference
The Brussels conference took place in 1876 and was hosted by king Leopold of Belgium. It was concluded that Africans were incapable of developing the natural resources to be found in central Africa so European intervention was necessary. The routes to Africa’s Great Lakes needed to be developed by building roads or railways and an international African association was set up to coordinate the European efforts.
When did the Berlin conference take place and what was agreed
German chancellor Otto Von Bismarck initiated and hosted the Berlin conference from 1884-85. It was agreed that: all nations should be permitted to trade in the basin of the Congo and its outlets, there should be free trade in these regions, the powers with influence in this area should help protect indigenous people and suppress the slave trade, the powers should support and protect religious, scientific or charitable undertakings and if any power took possession of further land on the coasts of the Africa it should notify the signatories of the Act in order to enable them to assert any claims of their own.
What was the principle established in the Berlin conference called
This was called effective occupation where a European power could demonstrate that it had a local treaty agreement and an active administration and was able to police its territory it claimed, it was recognised as the rightful ruler of that territory
What was the benefit of the Berlin conference
It enabled European countries to expand their empires in an ordered fashion and without the risk of conflict with one another.
Who gained little from the Berlin conference
The indigenous people because there was no African representation at the conference and European ministers mapped out spheres of influence with little concern for natural borders or ethnic, linguistic or religious division. There was also no effort to combat the African or Arab slave trade.
What is the informal empire
The informal empire comprised of places that were influenced by British power particularly economic power
Where did Britain extend their informal empire into
Commercial agreements extended Britain’s informal empire into Latin America in particular Chile and Argentina
How did Britain acquire parts of their informal empire
They would sometimes use threats of force for example pressure was put on Mexico to keep access open and to uphold free trade treaties. They would also obtain territories through diplomatic pressure
What were the British relations with the Boers and Bantu like from 1867-80
The discovery of diamonds in 1867 near Kimberley on the Vaal river in West Griqualand that opened the path towards greater friction. It triggered a diamond rush attracting white settlers and native Bantu speaking people. In 1868 the British annexed Basutoland claiming the indigenous people were seeking protection from the Boers and in 1871 they took West Griqualand. The British went on to propose a federation of the British and Boer territories but it was firmly rejected. The British announced the annexation of the Transvaal in 1877 claiming they needed to defend the white European settlers against the Zulus and Pedis. The boers reluctantly accepted British aid and they invaded Zululand. The Zulus were defeated in 1879 and then the Boers declared their independence from Britain in 1880
