WAW: Lesson - Imperialism in Africa and Latin America
Imperialism in Africa and Latin America
Imperialism in Africa
From the mid-1400s until 1880, Europeans only controlled port cities in Africa and relied on trade with African kingdoms for natural resources and slaves. By the late 1820s, most European countries had abolished slavery, but their economies were even more dependent on African goods.
In 1884, Otto Von Bismarck (the German chancellor) called a meeting with representatives from Great Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, and Belgium at the Berlin Conference (see political cartoon to the right). At the meeting, the European nations negotiated and formalized their claims to African land. No Africans were invited, and the claims were set along geographic boundaries, not ethnic or kingdom lines. From 1884 to 1900, nearly 90% of Africa was imperialized by these European countries in the Scramble for Africa.
Image notes: The map on the left shows Africa in 1870. Most of Africa is independent. The key includes Turkey (dark green), France (pink), Portugal (olive green), Spain (orange), the United Kingdom (light green), and Independent (light grey). Turkey (Ottoman Empire) controls the Northeast corner of Africa. The United Kingdom has most of modern South Africa. France and Portugal control tiny parts of the coast.
The map on the right shows Africa in 1914. Only 2 countries are independent: Liberia and Ethiopia (grey). France (blue) controls most of West Africa, and Britain (pink) controls most of East Africa. Belgium (orange) controls the center of Africa. Spain (yellow), Italy (light green), Germany (purple), and Portugal (dark green) have divided up the rest.
Africa was fundamentally changed by imperialism. Like in Asia, Europeans modernized African technology, healthcare, and education. The African kingdoms also experienced a loss of independence, religion (as Christian missionaries were introduced into southern and central Africa for the first time), culture, languages, resources, and global respect. Additionally, the division of Africa split apart kingdoms and ethnic groups and forced together rivals, which would lead to war and even genocide in the 20th century.
Imperialism in Latin America
After the independence movements of the early 1800s, many Central and South American countries fell into a cycle of revolution and dictatorship. But Europeans and Americans still wanted Latin America’s natural resources, so they funded transportation development to advance trade. Latin American countries developed their economies to produce rubber, oil, sugar, coffee, copper, and bananas. This coincided with American imperialist movements outside of Latin America, including the purchase of Alaska (1867) and coup/annexation of Hawaii (1894).
Title Line: What the United States Has Fought For. Copyright 1914 by John T. McCutcheon.
Figures on Top Row (bent over and burdened in various ways): Philippines - Spanish Oppression; Hawaii - Industrial Slavery; Porto (sic) Rico/Cuba - Spanish Yoke; Isthmus of Panama - Quinine.
Caption: Before the United States intervened on behalf of these oppressed people.
Figures on Bottom Row (standing straight and dressed in Western fashions): Philippines holds cards (Sanitation, Filipino Assembly; Education, Business, Prosperity) Hawaii sports a cane; Porto Rico holds a bag labeled "Prosperity"; Cuba holds a sign that says "Self Gov't" and a bag "Prosperity"; Panama has a shirt that says "Health" and wears a banner saying "Panama Canal Zone".
Caption: After the United States had rescued them from their oppression.
Eventually, America emerged as the dominant indirect/economic imperial force in the region. In 1895, Cuba began a war of independence from Spain. The United States allied with Cuba after Americans read news reports of Spanish cruelty to Cubans and Spain attacked the USS Maine warship. The war was quick, but shockingly, after the war was over, the United States only allowed Cuba to maintain partial sovereignty and took full control of other Spanish colonies, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. The US also got involved in Central American economies and governments and funded Panama’s independence movement from Colombia so they could build the Panama Canal.
[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION