History Project March 2024

Scramble for africa

Alexander Morán Vinzents

Niels Brock DIG

Alexander Morán Vinzents 3.U Niels Brock DIG March 2024

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION AND FOCUS POINTS..........................................................................................2
DESCRIBE.............................................................................................................................................2
ANALYSE..............................................................................................................................................2
DISCUSS...............................................................................................................................................2
PRESENTATION OF MAIN SOURCES............................................................................................2
METHODOLOGY................................................................................................................................3
DESCRIPTION......................................................................................................................................4
MOST IMPORTANT POINTS OF THE ANALYSIS........................................................................4
BELGIUM..............................................................................................................................................4
FRANCE................................................................................................................................................5
BRITIAN................................................................................................................................................5
MOST IMPORTANT POINTS OF THE DISCUSSION...................................................................6
ELABORATION REGARDING VERBAL PRESENTATION.........................................................6
LIST OF LITTERATURE....................................................................................................................7
APPENDICES........................................................................................................................................8
APPENDIX 1..........................................................................................................................................8

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Alexander Morán Vinzents 3.U Niels Brock DIG March 2024

Introduction and focus points

The focus of this report is the Scramble for Africa, a significant historical period in the late
19th century that reshaped the African continent and had enduring consequences. This era
saw European powers fiercely competing to establish colonies, exploit resources, and expand
their empires across Africa. Motivated by economic, political, and strategic interests,
European nations engaged in intense efforts to assert dominance and control over vast
territories.1 The Scramble for Africa had profound cultural, political, and socioeconomic
effects on African societies, leaving a legacy that continues to shape the continent today. 2
Hence, it is interesting to dwelve deeper into the motives, approaches and consequences of
The Scramble for Africa. Therefore, the following problem statement will thus, contribute to
the investigation of the following.

Describe: Why and how the late 19’th century Africa witnessed the european powers
colonising them and their countries.

Analyse: The diverse ethical, political, and pragmatic approaches employed by European
nations in their engagement during the scramble for Africa.

Discuss:
How the influence of of these different ethical approaches has affected Africa and its
countries today..

Presentation of main sources

The primary sources for this project include a letter from King Leopold II to Colonial
Missionaries, a speech by Jules Ferry on French Colonial Expansion and two propoganda
posters from Britian.

The Letter from King Leopold II to Colonial Missionaries (1883) dictates the operational
directives issued to Belgian missionaries in the Congo. It reveals the coercive tactics

1
(sahistory, 2015-2019)
2
(lcsnc, 2014)

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Alexander Morán Vinzents 3.U Niels Brock DIG March 2024

employed to advance Belgian interests, emphasizing the exploitation of religion and

indigenous populations to facilitate colonial control.

Jules Ferry's Speech on French Colonial Expansion (1884) provides a glimpse into the
ideological framework driving French imperialism in Africa. It articulates the economic
imperatives, racial hierarchies, and civilizing missions that underpinned French colonial
policies on the continent.

Furthermore, the British Empire Marketing Board Propaganda Posters (1926) offer visual
representations of British colonial endeavors in East Africa. These posters serve to promote
the narrative of British benevolence and progress while perpetuating ethnocentric views of
African societies as primitive and in need of European intervention.

Additionally, secondary sources such as, articles, history books, and research papers have
been utilised to reach a conclusion based on the problem statement.

Methodology
The main objective of this report is to gather an overall comprehensive understanding of The
scramble for Africa and how it has affected the countries affect today. In the report there is
utilised both firsthand and secondhand sources to collect crucial background information and
gain a deeper understanding of the historical context. Furthermore, there has been used both
historical quantitative and qualitative research and data with an empasis of qualitative. Hence,
there has been used an inductive research method. In this regard, I used the problem-oriented
approach to select the optimum sources for concluding on the problem statement.
Futhermore, I have used a synchronous approach to best examine the interconnectedness of
the events within The Scramble for Africa.

Description
In the late 19th century, a significant historical period emerged known as the "Scramble for
Africa." During this time, European powers engaged in a competitive race to acquire control

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Alexander Morán Vinzents 3.U Niels Brock DIG March 2024

over extensive regions of the African continent. This scramble was characterized by intense
efforts among European nations to establish colonies, exploit resources, and expand their
imperial territories across Africa. 3
They exploited resources through forced labor and imposed European laws, suppressing
indigenous autonomy.4 Cultural suppression eroded traditional identities, while remnants of
slavery persisted. These methods collectively entrenched European control, repressing
African agency and perpetuating colonial dominance.

Furthermore, the scramble for Africa was fueled by a complex interplay of political,
ideological, and strategic motivations.5 European powers sought to assert dominance, expand
their territories, and secure strategic advantages on the global stage. Control over African
territories offered access to valuable resources crucial for sustaining economic growth and
geopolitical influence. Additionally, imperial ambitions, nationalistic fervor, and ideological
convictions, such as the belief in European cultural and racial superiority and ethnocentrism,
played significant roles in shaping colonial policies and justifying territorial expansion 6

Most important points of the analysis

Belgium
King Leopold II's letter underscores a ruthlessly exploitative and ethically bankrupt approach,
emphasizing the prioritization of Belgian interests over the well-being and autonomy of
African peoples. Leopold's directives advocate for the manipulation of religion, coercion,
economic exploitation, cultural suppression, and even physical violence to ensure Belgian
dominance and resource extraction in the Congo. For instance, he states, "Your principal
objective in our mission in the Congo is never to teach the niggers to know God, this they
know already,"7 highlighting the exploitation of religion for colonial purposes, and "Convert
always the blacks by using the whip,"8 illustrating the brutal and coercive methods advocated
for the conversion and control of African populations.

3
(newworldencyclopedia, 2023)
4
(St. Johns Collegen University of Cambridge, 2024)
5
(RevisionOnline, 2024)
6
(IPL, 2016)
7
(King Leopold II of Belgium, Letter to colonial missionaries, 1883 )
8
(King Leopold II of Belgium, Letter to colonial missionaries, 1883 )

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Alexander Morán Vinzents 3.U Niels Brock DIG March 2024

France
On the other hand, Jules Ferry's speech reflects a more nuanced rationale for colonial
expansion, blending economic, political, and civilizational justifications. Ferry argues that
colonial expansion is essential for economic survival, citing the need for markets and
resources amidst increasing global competition. He invokes notions of racial superiority and
civilizing missions to justify France's colonial endeavors, presenting colonialism as a duty of
"higher races" to "civilize" inferior ones. Ferry's words, "the superior races have a right over
the lower races . . . " and "In our time nations are great only through the activity they deploy;
it is not by spreading the peaceable light of their institutions . . . that they are great, in the
present day," 9encapsulate the racial superiority complex and pragmatic necessity underlying
European colonialism.10

Britian
The Empire Marketing Board's poster showcases a before-and-after narrative of East Africa
under British rule, highlighting European superiority and benevolence. Ethnocentric
portrayals depict pre-colonial Africa as primitive compared to the progress brought by British
intervention. The poster serves as propaganda, emphasizing economic benefits and portraying
the British as white saviors improving African life and culture. This reflects colonial attitudes
of paternalism and superiority, marginalizing African agency. It embodies diverse colonial
approaches, including ethnocentrism, pragmatic justifications for expansion, and the white
savior complex.11

Most important points of the discussion

The lasting impact of colonialism in Africa varies based on the methods and legacies of the
colonial powers. Comparing the Democratic Republic of Congo, once under Belgian rule by
King Leopold II, with former British colonies like Ghana and Kenya highlights stark

9
(Jules Ferry, On french colonial expansion, 1884)
10
(Tutorchase - Maddie, 2017)
11
(Appendix 3)

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Alexander Morán Vinzents 3.U Niels Brock DIG March 2024

differences.12 Belgian control in Congo was marked by extreme exploitation, leaving deep
scars on society and contributing to ongoing instability and economic underdevelopment. In
contrast, British colonies often saw more emphasis on institutional development, leading to
stronger governance structures and higher levels of human development post-independence.
13
These divergent trajectories underscore the importance of historical consciousness in
addressing contemporary challenges and fostering sustainable development in Africa.14

Elaboration regarding verbal presentation

In the verbal presentation, I will further analyse the ethical, political, and pragmatic
approaches employed by European nations as well as dwelve deeper into the discussion
regarding the influence on African countries today. In this part ethical relavtism, culture and
norms as well as socioeconomic behaviour will be discussed. Futhermore, a conclusion will
be presented to sum up the report.

Wordcount: 1234
Keystrokes with spaces & Without footnotes: 8994

List of litterature
sahistory.org.za, The Scramble for Africa: late 19th century, March 20, 2015, last updated 27 August 2019
[online]. Available at: https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/grade-8-term-3-scramble-africa-late-19th-
century

12
(CEPR, 2012)
13
(Stephen Ocheni & ; Basil C. Nwankwo, 2012)
14
(Statista, 2021-2023)

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Alexander Morán Vinzents 3.U Niels Brock DIG March 2024

lcsnc, Effects of Imperialism in Africa, May 2014 [online] Available at:

https://www.lcsnc.org/cms/lib/NC01911169/Centricity/Domain/1414/Effects%20of%20Imperialism%20in
%20Africa.pdf

Dr. Andrew Williams, New World Encyclopedia, Scramble for Africa, January 2023 [online]. Available at:
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Scramble_for_Africa

Revision, Political and social factors that led to the scramble for Africa, 2024 [online] Available at:
https://revision.co.zw/political-social-factors-led-scramble-africa/

Elias Papaioannou Stelios Michalopoulos, The long-run effects of the Scramble for Africa, CEPR, 6
January 2012 [online] Available at: https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/long-run-effects-scramble-africa-0

Doris Dokua Sasu, Statista, Human development index score of Africa as of 2021, by country, February 2
2023, [online], Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1244496/human-development-index-of-
africa-by-country/

Stephen Ocheni, Basil C. Nwankwo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuj, Faculty of Management Sciences,
Kogi State University, Anyigba and CSCanada, Nigeria, Analysis of Colonialism and Its Impact in Africa,
March 2012, [online] Available at:
https://www.tralac.org/images/News/Documents/Analysis_of_Colonialism_and_Its_Impact_in_Africa_Oc
heni_and_Nwankwo_CSCanada_2012.pdf

Maddie, Tutorchase, 3.1.2 The Scramble for Africa, 2017. [online] Available at:
https://www.tutorchase.com/notes/cie-a-level/history/3-1-2-the-scramble-for-africa

King Leopold II of Belgium, Letter to colonial missionaries, 1883, [online] Available at:
https://www.fafich.ufmg.br/~luarnaut/Letter%20Leopold%20II%20to%20Colonial%20Missionaries.pdf

Jules Ferry, On french colonial expansion, 1884 [online] Available at:

https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/readings/ferry.html

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Alexander Morán Vinzents 3.U Niels Brock DIG March 2024

Appendices
Appendix 1