World History Essay #2-Imperialism

Prompt: What was the driving force behind European Imperialism in Africa?

Annie Jones

Christen Crookshanks

World History Adv.

8 December 2016

Imperialization: The Race for Africa

Imagine that you are a racecar. Youre the most advanced one, so you get off to a quick

lead. At some point, the other cars catch up to you. Its neck and neck to reach the finish line.

European imperialism went similarly to this race. In the beginning, Britain was the first player in

the field. Industrialization paved the way for them to be the strongest country in the world in both

trade and their military. Using this power, they colonized most of Africa, taking resources and

adding to their power. The other European countries saw their success at imperialization and

decided to join the race later and became competitors with Britain. This competition ultimately

led up to World War I. The main driving forces behind European imperialism in Africa where

technological advancements, increased resources and trade, and country superiority.

As the Imperial Era began, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing. The rise of

technology allowed for more efficient production and also saved lives. As seen in Document C,

the inventions that were the most influential in Africa were the electric telegraph and steam

engine would have been the most important inventions for Africa. The electric telegraph allowed

the Europeans to communicate with far off colonies. The map in Document A shows that

England controlled northern territory and the territory in the south was separated by a colony in

Belgium. This invention allowed them to communicate with each other despite the distance. The

invention of the steam engine allowed Britain and other countries to travel more quickly. With
faster transportation, more land can be claimed and more resources can be traded. The

inventions that they currently had along with new ones allowed them to use their new resources

and expand their countrys wealth.

In Africa, new resources were abundant, which lead to increased trade. In Document D,

the chart shows different African colonies and their exported resource along with the economic

or industrial use of the products. England had control of the mines. They exported lots of gold,

diamonds, coal, and other metals. Portugal, Germany, and France had coffee and cotton,

France, Belgium, and Portugal had palm oil and palm-kernel oil, and Germany and Belgium had

rubber. With all of these resources, imports and exports between Great Britain and South

Saharan Africa skyrocketed in 1900. Document E shows that imports from Africa made about

four million British pounds in 1854 and exports to Africa made about three million pounds. In

1900, imports jumped to about seven million pounds and exports exploded to over 20 million

pounds. These resources boosted the countrys economy exponentially. Upon seeing the United

Kingdoms success, the other countries wanted to jump in on the action.

With large income in an industry, competition comes along with it. Britains success

inspired other countries to compete to be the strongest country in Europe. In Document A, the

map displays the distribution of the countries in Africa. England and France controlled the

largest amount of land, followed by Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

Controlling the land expands the empires, but that expansion comes at a price. The countries

wanted to be superior to each other, which lead to war over territory. Eventually, these

squabbles carried over to World War I. Document B shows that John Ruskin, an English

intellectual, author, and speaker, was pushing for his country to found colonies as fast and as

far as she is able. German Freidrich Fabri wanted his country to begin-in a friendly

competition-to strive after the British. He wanted them to learn their competitors colonial ways
in order to found colonies of their own. The countries battled it out, all striving to be the

supreme.

Following the eruption of industrialism, the European nations began to colonize Africa.

One of the main motives of imperialization was the technology that was created from

industrialization. This technology allowed the countries to travel and communicate from colony

to colony more quickly. The technology allowed for more resources to be extracted. These

resources led to increased imports and exports, but also led to competition. The European

countries were competing to be the best and strongest country. What started out as friendly

competition resulted in World War I. Its all like a NASCAR race: a quick leader, a tight race,

and one bad crash.