Scramble for Africa

After the Berlin Conference, many European powers raced off to colonize the land in Africa. It was a time of growth for Europe, but for Africa it was a time of being taken over by foreign invaders. Not all Africans stood by and watched. There was a wide range of reactions to the Scramble for Africa, from fighting back to peacefully giving in.

A good part of the Africans were afraid of the Europeans, so they just gave in to the scramble without a fight. In 1886, the British government commissioned the Royal Niger Company to administer and help improve the Niger River delta. Many African rulers just willingly signed their land away(1). This document provides no personal report and is official, so it is possible that they didn’t give in fully peaceful. A personal record of these dealing would help to tell how easily the rulers signed. Nadansi Kumalo, an African veteran of the rebellion tells how at first his people surrendered to the British and tried to continue living their lives as they always had(4). Samuel Maherero, wrote to another African leader about how the Herero people were trying to be patient with the germans(7). Many people in Africa just gave into the changes that continued to occur around them.

Everywhere the Europeans went they didn’t always meet the same obedience. Many places fought the invaders. The emperor of Ethiopia wrote a letter to Great Britain, France, Germany,Italy and Russia in 1891 letting them know he wouldn’t just sit by and watch if they continued taking pieces of Africa(3). An Ethiopian painting of the Battle of Adowa shows the Ethiopians greatly overpowering the Italians and winning the battle while not losing very many people(5). This painting is from an Ethiopian artist so it was probably made to make the Ethiopians look a lot better than they probably were. A document from the Italians point of view would make it easier to judge this paintings accuracy. A German military officer said about the