The Scramble for Africa

- Climatic conditions linked to indexes of "civilisation" in 19thC

- Victorian arrogance

- Africa a "problematic" environment, but a potentially rich rescue to be tapped/exploited

- Egypt - part of "Mediterranean" - "Not real Africa"

- European views profoundly shaped by slave trade - African people are commodities - dehumanisation - can be bought and sold 

- Victorians interested in exploration

- Absent minded occupation? - Especially after the Napoleonic wars

- Turkish occupation, then France, but always a level of Egyptian autonomy - France positioned themselves to make Britain worried about their own position - If Egypt fell into the wrong hands - no access for British imperialism

- Suez Cana (1869) - commercial as well as strategic importance

- Financial "mis-management" in Egypt. Egyptians planning to sell their canal shares (45%) to French in 1875 - Disraeli intervened and canal became (45%) British owned

- Britain has formal stake in canal, ergo a formal stake in Egypt

- British presence in Egypt increases - leads to resentment - Alexandria riots June 1882 - which Britain attributes to Arab nationalist - pretext for military intervention

-Classic case of financial imperialism 

- The British occupation of Egypt is the catalyst of the scramble for Africa

- Trade - triangular trade with Britain and the West Indies (pam oil, textiles, firearms, hardware) - 'Oil rivers' trade very important but Britain no formal role - 'moral suasion'

- Test: Gold Coast clashes between Fanti (UK backed) & Ashanti - example of African agency - British compelled to act not from competition from European powers

- 1870s onwards - French interest in West Africa increases

- Can't underestimate the power of European rivalries as an explanation

- Long dreamed of colonial empire since his coronation in the 1860s

- Backed expeditions to "capture" central Africa in 1870s. Sets up Association Internationale du Congo (AIC)

- Leopold's personal interventions in the continent seen as one of THE reasons for the Scramble

- European territories getting closer to each other

- Brutality of the Congo Free State well documented

- 18th November 1884 to 26th February 1885 - proposed by Bismarck

- Widely seen as finalising the partition of the continent - but aims of conference actually about opening Africa to 'free trade'

- Britain partners up with Portugal, France partners up with Belgium to get Egypt

- Outcomes: a) Freedom of navigation on Congo & Niger rivers b) Free trade zone created from Congo to Indian ocean c) Rule "formalized" about territorial acquisition 

- Cecil Rhodes played a crucial role in extending British influence in Southern Africa - Working independently, but as an agent of the British Crown

- Pioneer column raised British flag n 'Rhodesia' in September 1890

- Looking for the Second Rand - The Second Rand - The rand is where the mining takes place in South Africa - the rand is never found - Rhodes has to rethink plans

- Dreams of British continent-wide control - Goes north to look for the Second Rand - plans for imperial expansion to spread the sphere of influence

- An individual getting rich from the back of indigenous people wants  to spend indigenous values

- Puzzling: Mid 1880s -few European statement had clear idea of which territory they wanted - but 'critical decisions' (Chamberlain) taken in this period

- Hobson - theory of 'surplus capital'

- Field house - outcome of militant nationalism

- Robinson & Gallager - Britain stumbled into Egypt, broke its "gentleman's agreement with France" - it was a 'remarkable freak'

- Porter - 'rearguard action' - not about prestige, about trying to "keep up"

- Cain and Hopkins - Britain actually proactive - securing most valuable parts of the continent

- N.B Africans not passive - but overwhelmed by technological power of Europeans

- Shift from "informal empire" to direct rule

- European rivalries

- Exploitation of natural resources

- "Civilizing Mission"