The Scramble and Partition of Africa

Introduction
Welcome to the Social Studies Workbook on the European Invasion of Africa and the Process of
Colonization. This worksheet provides an in-depth exploration of:
1. Definitions of the terms; ‘scramble’ and ‘partition’
2. European powers which took part in the Scramble and partition
3. Methods used by Europeans to acquire colonies in Africa
4. Factors that led to the scramble for colonies in Africa
5. The process of partitioning Africa
6. Impacts of the partition

1. Definitions of terms
Scramble
− Struggle to compete with others in a disorderly manner to get something or a share of it.
Scramble for Africa
− Rush by European powers to establish their spheres of influence in Africa in the 19th
century
Partition
− Apportioning something among contenders or competitors.
Partition of Africa
− Sharing or dividing up of the continent by European powers among themselves / Dividing
up of regions in Africa among European Nations.
Some background info:
 As late as 1880 most of Africa was still free. In tropical Africa, Europeans controlled parts of
the coast and sent some missionaries inland but that was pretty
much it. Parts to the north were under French and Turkish rule,
parts to the south were settled by the Dutch, who became
Afrikaners.
So what changed?
 Until the late 1800s malaria and distance made white rule across
most of Africa next to impossible. But then came steamships
(1802), railways (1811), quinine (1850), machine guns (the Gatling gun in 1861 and particularly
the Maxim in 1884) and undersea telegraph cables (1866).

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2. European powers which took part in the Scramble and
partition
They included:
 Britain  Spain
 Germany  Portugal
 France  Italy
 Belgium
3. Methods used by the Europeans to acquire colonies in
Africa
a) Signing Treaties.
i. Treaty signing with African leaders.
- The British signed the Maasai Agreements (1904 and 1911),
- Buganda Agreement of 1900. These treaties facilitated the acquisition of those
areas for colonization.
ii. Treaties signed amongst European powers.
These were known as Partition Agreements. For example;
- The Anglo-Germany Agreements of 1886 and 1890 and
- Heligoland between the British and the Germans over the sharing of East Africa.

b) Military Conquest
− Europeans employed outright war against those societies
that resisted their invasion. E.g.
- The French war against the Mandinka led by
Samori Toure (1870-1899),
- The British used military force in the Nandi
resistance from 1895-1905,
- The Germans fought the Maji Maji wars from 1905- 1907.

c) Divide and Rule

− The Europeans instigated inter-tribal wars causing some
Africans to support them against warring communities. E.g.
- use of the Wanga against the Luo and the Luhya
in Kenya,
- the Ndebele/Shona against the Lozi in Rhodesia.

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d) Luring/Enticing of Chiefs
− The Europeans gave gifts like cloth, weapons tools, drinks etc to African chiefs such as
- Lewanika of the Lozi and
- Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda thus luring them into collaboration.

e) Treachery/Tricks
− The Italians lied to Menelik II by signing a treaty of friendship but which was published in
Italian version indicating that Ethiopia had agreed becoming an Italian protectorate.
− The Maasai agreement was written in a language that the Lenana never understood.

f) Use of Company Rule

− The British and the Germans used chartered companies to acquire and rule their colonies.
for example, the role played by the;
- British South African Company of Cecil Rhodes,
- Imperial British East African Company of Sir William
Mackinnon,
- Royal Niger Company in West Africa and the
- German East Africa Company of Carl Peters.
g) Use of missionaries as frontrunners.
− The Europeans used missionaries, carrying a bible in one hand and a
gun in the other, who tried to convince the Africans to support the
European goals.

4. Factors that led to the scramble and partition of Africa

Economic Factors
Due to the industrial revolution in Europe in the 19th century, they required:
 Markets for their manufactured goods
 Raw materials to feed their industries
 Areas to invest their surplus capital
 European traders sought protection from their home
countries when faced with competition
 Need for agricultural land in Africa to grow food crops
 Need for cheap labour from Africa to produce raw materials
 Speculation about the availability of minerals in Africa.

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Political factors
 Unification of Germany after under Otto Von Bismarck after the Franco-Prussian war of
1870-71.
- The rise of Germany upset the balance of power in Europe and there was need to
rebalance out through acquisition of colonies in Africa. France for example had
to redeem her lost glory (especially after the loss of mineral rich Alsace and
Lorraine provinces) by acquiring eight colonies in Africa.

 The rise of public opinion in Europe.

- There was growth of public support towards the acquisition of colonies. With the
rise of democracy in European states in the 19th C, it was fatal for any
government to ignore public opinion.
 Militarism.
- Army officers in Europe favoured colonial expansionist wars to give them
greater opportunities for glory or promotion.
 The rise of Nationalism.
- In Europe, there was the rise of a general feeling of civilians that their nations
should acquire overseas colonies for national prestige.
Strategic Reasons
 The Egyptian question
- It revolved around the ownership of the Suez Canal
- Both Britain and France had economic interests in Egypt
- Their clash culminated in the British occupation of Egypt in order to protect
the River Nile and British interests in India.
 French activities in West Africa and the Congo
- It accelerated the scramble for the search for colonies in Africa.

 King Leopold's (of Belgium) activities in the Congo

- King Leopold created the 'Congo Free
State in 1884.
- This precipitated a crisis in Africa
which culminated in the convening of
an international conference in 1884-
1885 i.e. the Berlin Conference.

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Social Factors
 The Missionary Factor
- The missionaries came to Africa to spread Christianity, civilize the Africans,
abolish slave trade and encourage legitimate trade.
- In case of problems, they sought for protection from their mother countries.

 The growth of European population.

− The growth of European population –steadily to about 420 million in the 19th century
led to the quest for new outlets to resettle the population. E.g.
▪ Britain settled some of her people in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada
and South Africa.
▪ Germany, Portugal and Dutch also had to find places in Africa to settle some
of their people.
 Rise of Racism
- Europeans felt they were a superior race to others since they were
industrialized, hence they had a
duty to civilize Africans
- Cecil Rhodes once remarked ‘we
are the first race in the world and
the more of the world inhabit, the
better it is for the human race’.

 Humanitarian factor
- Humanitarian groups in Europe who had campaigned against slave trade
urged their home governments to occupy Africa to facilitate effective
abolition of slave trade.

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5. The Process of Partition
The Berlin Conference (Nov 15, 1884 - Feb 26, 1885)
− On 15th November 1884, Britain, Germany, France,
Belgium, the USA, Portugal and Italy convened in
Berlin to lay down the rules for the partition and
eliminate conflicts amongst European nations.
Africans, whose continent was being shared, were
not represented in the conference
− The Berlin Conference of 1884-85, partitioned Africa into different spheres of
influence without recourse to war.

Terms of the Berlin Conference.

❖ That all signatories must declare their sphere of influence
(an area under each nation’s occupation)
❖ That once an area is declared a sphere of influence,
effective occupation must be established in the area
through establishment of firm colonial infrastructures to
be followed by colonial administration.
❖ That any state, laying claim to any part of Africa must
inform other interested parties in order to avoid future rivalry.
❖ That any power acquiring territory in Africa must undertake to stamp out slave trade
in favour of legitimate trade and safeguard African interests.
❖ That if a European power claims a certain part of the African coast, the land in the
interior next to the coast became hers.
❖ That the Congo River and the Niger River basins were to be left free for any interested
power to navigate.
❖ The European powers vowed to protect and safeguard European interests in Africa
irrespective of their nationality.

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NB: The two African countries that were not colonized during the Scramble for Africa are
Ethiopia and Liberia.

1. Ethiopia:
o Resistance: Ethiopia successfully resisted colonization by defeating Italian forces at
the Battle of Adwa in 1896. This victory secured Ethiopia's sovereignty.
o Diplomacy: Ethiopian leaders, such as Emperor Menelik II, effectively used
diplomacy and military strategy to maintain the country's independence.
2. Liberia:
o Foundation: Liberia was founded by the American Colonization Society in 1822 as a
settlement for freed African American slaves.
o American Protection: Although not formally a colony, Liberia was heavily
influenced and supported by the United States, which helped maintain its
independence from European colonization.

Britain
a. East Africa - Kenya, Uganda
b. Central Africa - Nyasaland, Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), southern
Malawi
Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)
c. North East Africa - British Somaliland
d. Southern Africa – Bechuanaland (Botswana), Swaziland, Basutoland (Lesotho), Union of
South Africa.
e. North Africa - Egypt, Sudan
f. West Africa - Gold Coast, Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra Leone.
Ghana

France
a. North East Africa - Eritrea, French Somaliland .
Benin Burkina Faso
b. West Africa - Senegal, Ivory Coast, Dahomey, Upper Volta, Guinea,
Mali, Belgium, Niger, Mauritania.
c. Central Africa - Chad, French Central Africa, French Congo
d. North Africa - Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco.

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Germany
(Germany did not enter the race for colonies until very late and, as a result, much
of the land gained was not very valuable.)
a. East Africa - Tanganyika
b. Central Africa - Rwanda, Burundi
c. West Africa - Togo, Cameroon

Portugal

a. Angola,
b. Mozambique,
c. Portuguese Guinea

Belgium

(Even tiny Belgium had an African colony – the Belgian Congo.

This was one of the reasons that Kaiser William II of Germany decided that his country
must also have colonies.)

a. Belgium Congo

Italy

(Italy did gain a few colonies but also had its failures. It tried to take over Tunis but was
beaten to it by France. It tried to take over Abyssinia but failed)

b. Libya,
c. Italian Somaliland

Spain

a. Spanish Guinea,
b. Spanish Morocco

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 6. Impacts of the Partition.
Political effects
1. Introduction of European administration minimized intertribal wars and civil strife.
2. It led to development of strong African leadership and beginning of state formation.
3. Colonial government structures inherited by most independent African states have
continued to be models of governments in African countries.
4. Rise of African nationalism to fight colonialism
led to the development of African political
awareness.
5. The Europeans gained fame, prestige and
national glory by having colonial possessions.
6. Negatively, it led to collapse of African
traditional political systems and leadership.
7. Use of divide and rule promoted ethnic disunity
that continues to trouble Africa many years
after independence.
8. Boundary creation split apart many African
communities. For example, the Somali are found both in Kenya and in Somalia, the Maasai
in Kenya and Tanzania and the Ewe in Ghana and Togo.
9. In some cases, some communities whose cultures were incompatible found themselves
bunched together.

Social impacts
1. Through the protection offered to missionaries, it stimulated the spread of Christianity to
various parts of Africa.
2. It led to development of urban centres. Some towns grew as centres of administration e.g.,
Nairobi and Machakos. Others grew as railway terminus e.g., Kisumu.
3. African welfare was boosted. Some African benefited from western education and health
facilities introduced by the Europeans.
4. European languages were introduced in Africa.
5. Negatively, it created landlessness as European settlers appropriated African land.
6. The Africans adopted some negative aspects of western culture.
7. Many Africans lost their lives through resistance.

Economic effects
1. There was construction of roads, railway and other forms of infrastructure, which helped to
open up the interior.
2. Imperialization helped to widen market for African produce especially with the
establishment of local industries.
3. Africans were exposed to European manufactured goods/ increase in essential commodities.
4. Partition speeded up the economic growth of European nations.
5. Negatively, forced labour and exploitation of African resources left many parts of Africa
impoverished and underdeveloped.
6. Africans were exposed to heavy taxation and denial to participate in economic activities
like farming, trade etc.

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ACTIVITIES
Quizzes
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What was the primary reason for the Scramble for Africa?
A. To establish new religions
B. To explore new lands
C. To establish European spheres of influence
D. To escape European political unrest
2. Which treaty was signed between the British and the Maasai in 1904?
A. Heligoland Treaty C. Maasai Agreements
B. Buganda Agreement D. Anglo-Germany Agreement
3. Which European power did NOT take part in the Scramble and Partition of Africa?
A. Britain C. Sweden
B. Portugal D. Italy
4. What was a social factor that contributed to the Scramble for Africa?
A. Industrial Revolution C. Rise of Racism
B. Militarism D. Unification of Germany
5. Which European power signed the Buganda Agreement of 1900?
A. Germany C. Britain
B. Belgium D. France
6. What was the primary goal of the missionaries in Africa?
A. To establish trade routes C. To find new minerals
B. To spread Christianity D. To create new colonies
7. Which of the following methods was NOT used by Europeans to acquire colonies in Africa?
A. Signing Treaties C. Establishing Universities
B. Military Conquest D. Divide and Rule
8. Which African leader effectively used diplomacy to maintain his country's independence?
A. Kabaka Mwanga C. Samori Toure
B. Lewanika of the Lozi D. Emperor Menelik II
9. What event led to the convening of the Berlin Conference?
A. The Franco-Prussian War
B. King Leopold's activities in the Congo
C. The Nandi Resistance
D. The Battle of Adwa

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10. Which European country did NOT have colonies in West Africa?
A. France C. Spain
B. Germany D. Britain
11. Which European power was responsible for the construction of the Suez Canal?
A. Portugal C. Britain
B. France D. Germany
12. What was the significance of the Anglo-Germany Agreements of 1886 and 1890?
A. They were treaties signed with African leaders
B. They defined the sharing of East Africa between the British and the Germans
C. They established missions in Africa
D. They resolved military conflicts in Africa
13. Which African region was NOT directly colonized by European powers during the Scramble
for Africa?
A. Ethiopia C. Nigeria
B. Kenya D. Tanganyika
14. What was one of the outcomes of the Berlin Conference?
A. Africa remained uncolonized
B. European powers eliminated conflicts amongst themselves
C. Africans gained independence
D. Europeans stopped trading with Africa
15. Which of the following countries was NOT involved in the Berlin Conference?
A. USA C. Portugal
B. Japan D. Italy
16. What was the main strategic reason for the British occupation of Egypt?
A. To spread Christianity
B. To protect the Suez Canal and British interests in India
C. To establish new trade routes
D. To find new minerals
17. What did European powers vow to do in Africa according to the Berlin Conference terms?
A. Promote inter-tribal wars
B. Safeguard European interests irrespective of nationality
C. Abandon their colonies
D. Trade only with each other

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 18. Who was tricked by the Italians into signing a treaty that implied becoming an Italian
protectorate?
A. Kabaka Mwanga C. Emperor Menelik II
B. Lewanika of the Lozi D. King Leopold
19. Which method involved the Europeans using gifts to entice African chiefs into collaboration?
A. Military Conquest C. Luring/Enticing of Chiefs
B. Divide and Rule D. Use of Company Rule
20. Which European country established the 'Congo Free State' in 1884?
A. France C. Germany
B. Belgium D. Portugal

True or False
1. The Berlin Conference of 1884-85 involved African representatives.
___________________
2. King Leopold of Belgium played a significant role in the partitioning of the Congo.
___________________
3. The Maasai agreement was understood clearly by the Maasai leaders.
___________________
4. Ethiopia successfully resisted Italian colonization at the Battle of Adwa.
___________________

Short Answer Questions

1. Define the term "Scramble for Africa." [2 mrks]
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Explain the term "Partition of Africa" [2 mrks]
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. List three methods used by Europeans to acquire colonies in Africa. [3 mrks]
a) ______________________________________________________________________
b) ______________________________________________________________________
c) ______________________________________________________________________

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 4. Identify three economic factors that led to the Scramble for Africa? [3 mrks]
a) ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
b) ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
c) ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

5. Name the two African countries that were not colonized during the Scramble for Africa.
[2 mrks]
a) _____________________________
b) _____________________________

6. What role did Otto von Bismarck play in the Scramble for Africa? [2 mrks]
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
7. Describe the main objectives of the Berlin Conference of 1884-85? [2 mrks]
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
8. What were some of the inventions that made Europeans feel confident that they could
explore Africa? [3 mrks]
a) ____________________________________
b) ____________________________________
c) _____________________________________
9. Mention three chartered companies used by the Europeans in the process of colonization
[3 mrks]
a) ______________________________________________________________________
b) ______________________________________________________________________
c) ______________________________________________________________________

Class Activity

Debate Motion: The Scramble for Africa brought more harm than good to the African continent.

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Map Activity
 Colour-code and label the territories controlled by different European powers post-Berlin
Conference.

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 The Scramble For Africa
Complete the crossword below to help you review our previous lesson.
1

6 7

10

11

12

13

14

15

Across Down
6. The man who owned Congo Free state and was 1. Rise in ____________meant other europeans
from Belgium. needed to be resettled in Africa.
8. The imperialists claimed they wanted to legitimise 2. Country that didn't take part in the scramble
trade and abolish slave trade. This factor is called? 3. Was not colonised.
9. This was an economic factor that led to the 4. The construction of this helped build a link between
exploration of Africa's interior. Clue: Need for raw Europe and Asia.
materials. 5. The invention of this medicine meant inland Africa
10. They came with the bible and were friendly to could be explored.
Africans but they paved the way for colonisation. 7. Happened in Nov 1884- Feb 1885.
12. The fanous British imperialist who claimed he 11. Who came late into the race and thus only
would take over all of Africa from South Africa to acquired Tanzania and small parts of East and central
Egypt. He named countries after himself. Africaa?
13. Another word for colonisation. Starts with letter I.
14. The white man's burden was to bring______to
Africa.
15. Which country was the first to have discovered
egypt?