Great+Britain+and+Africa

= British Imperialism in Africa =

Britain was one of the countries that played a great role in Africa's imperialism. They managed to imperialize a large chunk of the continent and set up colonies in the continent.

Kelsey Belmont

1). Why did the country begin its policy of Imperialism   In the late 1800’s, the British Empire was the richest and the most powerful country in the world. Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, Britain was able to produce more and more manufactured goods. However due to the American Revolution, the size of the British Empire was actually declining. The British, who depended heavily on trade, needed to find new markets where they could sell their products. They looked to imperialism, which is the policy of forcefully extending a nation's authority over other countries, as a way to make sure their economy continued to grow.   The British were also in need of raw materials, such rubber, petroleum and other minerals. They looked to control countries that were rich in natural resources. Another reason the British practiced imperialism was to spread their way of life. They wanted to convert foreigners to Christianity and enforce their style of government. The British were proud of their empire. The more territories Britain had, the more powerful they would become in the affairs of the world. They were fearful the German and French would take over the territories they already controlled. Colonies such as India were a source of riches for Britain. These colonies would also be allies if a war should start. The British did not become imperialist to conquer other countries. They became imperialist to improve the British economy.

Kelsey Belmont 3) Why is the territory being targeted for takeover? (What are the benefits and goals)

 Britain was greatly involved with imperialism in Africa from 1869 to 1912. Prior to 1869, the British owned very little land in Africa. Although the British Empire wanted to spread Christianity and the British way of life in Africa, they turned to the Caribbean and India for trade. Since the slave trade was abolished in Europe in the 1830’s, Africa was seen as a land that lacked natural resources. The only resource Africa had that Britain wanted was palm oil to run their machinery back in Britain. The British Empire took over some parts of West Africa to obtain this needed oil. When the Suez Canal opened up in Egypt in 1869, Britain suddenly became very interested in Africa. The Suez Canal provided a shorter to route India, Britain’s prize possession. Britain now wanted to acquire land in Africa was to help protect her other territories from being taken over. The British were convinced the other countries wanted to take over control of India. To ensure they did not have easy access to India, the English bought control of the Suez Canal. By 1882, they controlled all of Egypt. Still convinced the other countries wanted India for their own, the British also took over South Africa. Ships could travel all the way around Africa to reach India. Before the opening of the Suez Canal this was the main route to India. South Africa was the perfect stop to refuel. In 1870 when diamonds and gold were discovered, South Africa became even more attractive to the British Empire. After the British gained control of South Africa and Egypt, they continued to take over other lands. Due to wars in other countries, the British never had very much competition in acquiring new lands. Now the wars had ended, the French and the Germans also started making claims to land in Africa. Land was cheap in Africa and the Africans did not have the weapons needed to fight off the Europeans. To remain competitive the British took over as much land as they could in fear other countries, would grab all the land. This was done to ensure the British Empire remain the richest and most powerful empire in the world.

__ Teimur Kayani __

**__4. BRITAIN'S TYPE OF RULE IN IMPERIALIZED COUNTRIES __** The British instituted an indirect colonial rule over Africa with some harsh laws in certain areas in the continent. For example, after the discovery of diamonds and the Boer War, 'Britain united the Cape Colony and former Boer republics into the union of South Africa' (Ellis, Esler, pg. 624) and made a goverment run by whites with racial segregation. This was different from their usual indirect rule because instead of leaving local rulers in power, they instituted whites into power. Even so, Britain's main type of rule (indirect rule) used local rulers to govern their colonies and 'encouraged the children of local class rulers to get and education in Britain' (Ellis, Esler, pg. 620). This allowed them to keep the citizens of the colonies politically content and provided the colony with 'trained' rulers that inherited power. This is because Britain wanted colonial rulers with imperialist ideas and would allow this type of rule to go on in the colony (support it). Nevertheless, Britain did bring in armies if need be to control the colonies (if people started to rebel).

__ 6. END RESULTLS OF COUNTRY'S IMPERIALISM __
Well, as with most imperialist countries, Britain's power declined in the region and most colonies became independent, such as Egypt. Even so, there were some countries that were deeply influenced by Britain and still have some of its culture today! For example, South Africa ( they did become independent, but still embraced British ways) today now has a vast majority of Christians (with some other countries in that region), opposed to the majority of Muslims in northern Africa. This shows that Britain had a long-lasting effect on them and the same occurred with some other countries in that region. So, even though some British colonies that gained their independence turned back to their older ways, some colonies embraced western ways and were deeply influenced by them. **__﻿__** **Dave Sowerby ** **5. __OBSTACLES TO BRITISH CONTROL__ **

Britain did not initially have much interest in developing a colony at the Cape of South Africa, because they only wanted the port as a stopping point to and from India. So the __British paid little attention to squabbles among the Boers, the Zulus and the British living in the region__ , until battles broke out, or these groups had something Britain wanted[1]. **__A. Boers(Descendants of Dutch settlers) __** **One of these ****__disputes was over a border between the Boers and the Xhosa in 1820 [2] __****. Instead of trying to resolve the issue, Britain persuaded 5,000 British immigrants to settle on land between the two groups. The hope was that these immigrants would be a cushion between the two groups. However, within three years, half of the settlers moved into towns and took the same kinds of jobs they had in Britain. ** **__British immigrants in South Africa angered the white South Africans __****. The British and the Boers, while they were both white, had different languages and cultures. The British immigrants took all the jobs in trade, finance, mining, manufacturing, and politics. This added to the Boers’ resentment of the British [3]. ** **__The Boers did not believe in racial __****equality, and alleged that white superiority was God’s decision [4]. ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">In 1834, the British outlawed slavery, frustrating the Boers even more. But by 1841, rulers in South Africa passed a law, the ****__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Masters and Servants Ordinance; __****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">this law kept control in the hands of white people, who were by law the masters, while the black natives were the servants by law. The Boers did not want to pay black servants for their work [5]. ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">A portion of the ****__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Boers __****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">split and were called the Voortrekkers (pioneers). They migrated in search of fertile farm land, and were ****__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">involved in battles with the fierce Zulu __****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">who did not want to negotiate or give up any of their land to the Voortrekkers. The Voortrekkers lost a battle with the Zulu at ****<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">the Battle of Itala ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">, but slaughtered many Zulu with their cannons and elephant guns at the ****<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Battle of Blood River [6] ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">. ** **__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The British added to the resentment of the Boers when they annexed the land for Britain in 1843 __****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">. This was the same land that the Boers fought for near Natal. So the Boers were squeezed between the natives of Africa and the British and felt that they did not belong in the Cape Colony [7]. ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">By 1877, the Boers defeated the British at ****<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">the Battle Majuba Hill ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">and gained their independence as the South African Republic. Because the white Boers outnumbered the British in the population, the British responded by planning to unite all of the colonies in South Africa under British rule, and put more British culture into South Africa, including English, and eventually Dutch as the official languages of South Africa [8]. ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The Boers were taken down again when ****__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">diamonds were discovered __****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">on their land, Transvaal. The British quickly stepped in and annexed the land from the Boers. The diamond miners came from all over the world into integrated mining towns, which further angered the racist Boers [10]. The same thing happened when ****__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">gold was discovered __** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">near Johannesburg in 1879; the Boers were squeezed out of the power and the wealth by the British. This resentment caused the Boer War, that began in 1899 and ended in 1902 [11}. By 1907, mining took over the economy of South Africa, and ****__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">left the Boers out to remain poor white farmers [ __****<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">12__]__ ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">. **

**<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The ****<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">South African War (1899-1902) ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">was fought under the disguise of the British wanted voting rights for the 60,000 white foreign immigrant miners. In reality it was a battle for power between the Boers, now the Afrikaners, and the British. The Afrikaners lost the war after the British burned more than 30,000 farms, and had to sign the Treaty of Vereeniging in 1902, accepting British rule. Britain agreed to rebuild the Afrikaner areas under British control [13]. ** **__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Afrikaners started nationalist groups __****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">and claimed that Afrikaans was the people’ language. They started their own schools, and established their own political party [14]. ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">A Liberal party won the election in 1905 that called the British policies “methods of barbarism” causing more minor problems for Britain [15]. ** **__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">B. Zulu __** **__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The Zulu nation was previously united under their leader Shaka [16]. They refused to labor on British sugar plantations, and fought for their Zululand __****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">with the British at the ****<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Battle of Isandlwana ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">in 1879. This was the beginning of the ****<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Zulu Wars ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">, which the British eventually won [17]. ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">By 1906, Britain brought tens of thousands of Chinese laborers further decreasing the importance of the native groups in the region [18]. ** **__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Zulus rebelled against heavy taxes at the Bambatha Rebellion in 1905. __** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The British killed 4,000 Zulu and the tax remained [19]. ** **__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">C. Egypt __** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">After Napoleon was unsuccessful in ending British and Egyptian trade relationships in 1798, Britain enjoyed a few years of good trade relations with Egypt. It was faster for British traders to travel through Egypt to India than to sail around Africa, so Egypt was important to Britain [19]. ** **__<span style="color: #c0504d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Muhammed Ali, the leader of Egypt in 1807, defeated the British and kicked them out for the next 75 years, making South Africa more important than ever for Britain [20]. __**

**<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">Footnotes ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">1. ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">Online encyclopedia, p.1 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">2. ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">Countrystudies.us, p.2 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">3. ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">Online encyclopedia p.1 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">4. ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">Countrystudies.us, p.1 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">5. ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">Countrystudies.us, p.1 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">6. ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">Online encyclopedia, p.2 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">7. ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">Countrystudies.us, p.2 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">8. ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">Online encyclopedia, p.2 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">9. ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Countrystudies.us, p. 2 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">10. Countrystudies.us, p.1 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">11. Ellis, p.624 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">12. Online encyclopedia, p.2 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">13. Countrystudies.us, p.2 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">14. Countrystudies.us, p.3 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">15. Countrystudies.us, p.3 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">16. Ellis, p.622 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">17. Countrystudies.us, p.3 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">18. Online encyclopedia, p.2 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">19. Countrystudies.us, p.2 ** **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">20. Countrystudies.us, p.2 **

<span style="color: #e5dfec; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">^^

**<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Works Cited ** <span style="background: white; display: block; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"> Cody, David. "The British Empire." //The Victorian Web: An Overview//. 1999. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. [].

Anderson, Becky. "Imperialism in Africa: Britain." //Chico Unified School District - CUSD Main - CUSD Homepage - CUSD Homepage//. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. [].

<span style="background: white; display: block; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"> Cody, **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">" ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">British Imperialsim and the Afrikaaners." Countrystudies.us. U.S. Library of Congress, 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. http://countrystudies.us/ south-africa/16.htm>. **

**<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Ellis, Elizabeth Gaynor, and Anthony Esler. //World History: Connections to Today//. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2001. Print. **

<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">"History of British Colonial Rule in Africa, Precolonial Racial and Ethnic Relations in British Colonial Africa." Online Encyclopedia. Net Industries, 2010. Web. 17 Nov.2010..<http://enclyclopedia.jrank.org/ **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;">articles/ pages5920/Africa-British-Colonies.html>. **