They were, however, unsuccessful in doing so. However it was the British who finally annexed it under the pretext of providing organized supervision for the mining activities. The main question is: How come Europeans took so long to finally penetrate and dominate African territories, after years of simply inhabiting the coasts? But France’s vigorous pursuit of her claims, reinforced by the occupation of Casablanca and surrounding territory, precipitated critical confrontations, which reached their peak in 1911 when French troops were suppressing a Moroccan revolt and a German cruiser appeared before Agadir in a show of force. They annexed this area alongside Cape Colony, and it became so economically prosperous that it was eventually self-governed. Also, the British were provided with the British East Africa Company, with the task of administering certain territories. The Europeans therefore saw the need to acquire territories outside Europe to serve as a market for their surplus goods and Africa was their answer since it was a newly found con… The only exceptions were Liberia, generally regarded as being under the special protection of the United States; Morocco, conquered by France a few years later; Libya, later taken over by Italy; and Ethiopia. North Africa was an important point of interest to Europeans, Arabs and Africans. Many of the boundaries drawn up by Europeans at the Berlin Conference still endure today with little regard to natural landmarks or historic ethnic or political boundaries established by the Africans themselves. By 1914, 90% of Africa had been divided between seven European countries with only Liberia and Ethiopia remaining independent nations. Also, African chiefs started making alliances with Europeans, providing them territories in exchange for protection, payments power and information. The latter were determined to maintain their territories in the south at all costs. African. By building the Suez Canal and financing Egypt’s ruling group, France had gained a prominent position in Egypt. The Partition of Africa Historians were amazed by the rapidness of the partition of Africa. Frequent revolts kept the French Army busy in the Algerian interior for another 50 years before all Algeria was under full French rule. Since the day we are born our parents are already thinking about what pre school we will go to, what magnet school we can test into, and what college will be the best to send us into our future. Those who were unable to reach their rubber quota often had a hand or foot chopped off, or were killed by Leopold’s agents. Certainly other factor like geography, weather and diseases were important, but the truth is that Europeans were not militarily superior at the time. These natural resources made Africa a vital resource for the European economy. The tension created by Germany led to an international conference at Algeciras (1906), which produced a short-lived compromise, including recognition of France’s paramount interest, Spanish participation in policing Morocco, and an open door for the country’s economic penetration by other nations. The Partition of Africa 1880–1900 and European Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century We have been witnesses of one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of the world. This treaty was truthfully of no use. As a consequence of recent unifications, some powers such as Germany and Italy had within them a feeling of nationalism and felt the need to respond with colonization. In the mid-1800s the figure of the explorers took on an important role. Once news of these abuses of power were brought to the public light, King Leopold was stripped of his colony and the vast Congo region was ruled by the Belgium government until it became independent in 1960. When Britain finally decided to formally address annexation, a treaty was signed in Berlin setting some ground rules for colonization.
