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Home Great Britain and World-Politics, 1878-1911 The "Grab for Africa" |
The "Grab for Africa"We turn from Egypt to other parts of Africa. It is said that between 1879 and 1889 Great Britain added to her possessions land equal in size to one-third of Europe. Some of these additions were in the East, such as Upper Burmah (1886); but the larger part of them was in Africa. During the first half of the nineteenth century the interior of Africa was almost unknown, but in the third quarter of the century the expeditions of explorers, and more especially of Livingstone and Stanley, aroused European interest. And then, in 1884, began what is called the " grab for Africa". The European powers, eager for new outlets, began a general scramble for new territories and " spheres of influence ". The result was that France obtained in North-west Africa an enormous empire, stretching from Algiers to the Congo River, twenty times the size of France itself.1 Germany obtained not far short ot one million square miles on the east and west coasts of Africa, and Italy possessions bordering on the Red Sea or adjacent to it. King Leopold of Belgium had already formed the Congo Free State in 1880, and Portugal had extended her ancient possessions on either coast of Africa.Great Britain herself was not behind other competitors. She already possessed Cape Colony and Natal, Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast. To them she now added Bechuanaland and Rhodesia, On the west coast, chiefly through the enterprise of Sir George Goldie, a British company developed Nigeria, which has, since 1900, been a British Protectorate. On the east, the East Africa Company developed which are now known as the Protectorates of British East Africa and Uganda, the latter country being first penetrated about 1890. Moreover, protectorates were established over parts of Somaliland and 7, year respectively in 1884 and 1891. Needless to say, the scramble, whilst it was in progress, led to considerable diplomatic complications, which were, however, gradually overcome by agreements between the various powers concerned. Great Britain was also engaged in various little wars in Uganda, in Nigeria, and with the Ashantees. |
Chronology |
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