November 15, 1884 to February 26, 1885
Berlin, Germany
Overview
What started the colonization? |
What led to the conference? |
Between the 1870s and the 1900s, the Industrial Revolution produced advanced technology from Europe, allowing European countries to easily conquer African nations.
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Africa was seen by the Europeans as a wealthy and uncivilized continent ready to be taken advantage of. King Leopold II of Belgium supported journalist Henry Stanley's explorations of Africa and his work to open the Congo Basin to commerce. France also wanted in on the resources of Africa, and other countries joined in the tug-of-war as well. This competition of interests led to the Berlin Conference, suggested by Portugal, who wanted to control the Congo Basin.
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Who controlled Africa before the Berlin Conference?By the time of the Berlin Conference, 80% of the continent of Africa was controlled locally (by indigenous cultures). After the conference, Africa was divided into fifty different countries with complete disregard of the placement of indigenous tribes.
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Who controlled Africa after the Berlin Conference? |
Countries in the Berlin Conference Word Search
How did this all end?
Citizens of the new countries didn’t get along due to centuries of division between their peoples, so this led to much conflict.
How does this relate to imperialism?
Countries colonized another place for their own political, economic, and social benefit, so it was imperialism.