Sabrina Reinhard-Hayes
12/16/13
World History
Thesis: The European imperialist push into Africa was motivated by three main factors, economic, political, and social. The age of imperialism marked a shift in world history. After three centuries of trading and cooperation between Europeans and Africans, several European nations conquered Africa. In the 19th century the industrial revolution sparked an ambitious and greedy spirit among European nations. They developed industrial production for large profit and wanted more resources to support vast growth. Africa had valuable sources of raw material that Europe sought to dominate and control.
Impacts on Africans:
The Africans lifestyle changed completely after the invasion of Europeans, establishing missionaries, seizing control of land, and breaking down the culture. The British established missionaries in colonies, as well as improved sanitation, hospitals, and schools. These new changes resulted in an increased life span and raised literacy rates. In addition the schools introduced a new religion, Christianity, moving the Africans away from their cultural customs. When the Europeans took control of the land, property was transferred with little thought. Many of the fields in Africa were under the control of the Europeans leaving no land for the Africans to feed their families. Men were then forced to leave the village and look for work. Europeans also had power over the resources in the area such as gold, diamonds, ivory, and cotton etc., which profited Europeans, however it had no benefit on the Africans. European domination led to the erosion of traditional African values and destroyed many existing social relationships. Europeans divided up Africa with no respect for tribal, ethnic, or cultural boundaries. These divisions led to ongoing clashes in many African countries.
Impacts on Europeans:
The Europeans struggled with little knowledge on Africa and benefited from...