Could it be possible that in the 20th Century that waves of European immigrants could settle in various African colonies like Namibia, South Africa, Algeria, Rhodesia, and Kenya? What would have to require for this to happen? Could large white majorities be formed in the colonies? And what would happen to the indigenous Africans? What else could we see happen?
 
Before someone here says that African diseases make this impossible, that's not correct. By the 20th century, those diseases were no longer a problem, there were vaccines against them. The big problem is, actually, the lack of incentive for Europeans to settle there. They would be moving to underdeveloped areas with very different climates. In addition, many of those areas already had large populations.
The only area of continental Africa that I could see becoming European majority would be Namibia, if it had remained German, given its low and sparse population.
 

Lusitania

Donor
I actually have a TL where we do have substantial emigration from Europe to Portuguese Africa starting in the 1930s. The driving force in development of these colonies with mining, industry followed by commerce.

therefore if a country wanted to develop a colony which would attract people to iit. Can be done.
 
Before someone here says that African diseases make this impossible, that's not correct. By the 20th century, those diseases were no longer a problem, there were vaccines against them. The big problem is, actually, the lack of incentive for Europeans to settle there. They would be moving to underdeveloped areas with very different climates. In addition, many of those areas already had large populations.
The only area of continental Africa that I could see becoming European majority would be Namibia, if it had remained German, given its low and sparse population.

The colonial governments can promote better jobs and pay as well as free land in the colonies. That’s how the US attracted so many settlers.

I actually have a TL where we do have substantial emigration from Europe to Portuguese Africa starting in the 1930s. The driving force in development of these colonies with mining, industry followed by commerce.

therefore if a country wanted to develop a colony which would attract people to iit. Can be done.

Thanks for the input.
 
Have a few immunizations develop a bit earlier and parts of Africa could emerge as competitors to Canada and Argentina in the post-1900 pre-WWI migration boom.
 
What if Italy remains neutral in WW2 and more Italians emigrate to Libya? Crossing the Atlantic to the Americas would be too hazardous in war time but if Italy is neutral the Mediterranean is safe enough and it’s traveling within Italian territory.
 
What if Italy remains neutral in WW2 and more Italians emigrate to Libya? Crossing the Atlantic to the Americas would be too hazardous in war time but if Italy is neutral the Mediterranean is safe enough and it’s traveling within Italian territory.

But even then Libya isn't the only option right? There was a pretty large Italian colonist community in Eritrea, although mostly in Asmara OTL, that could be increased. Then there would be Somalia and Ethiopia, which really had no Italian settlement that I know of. In Italian Somalia there were a few administrators and such in the colony, but if the Italians go full Portugal, Mogadishu (in this timeline Mogadiscio) could become a large Italian settlement. Also, I don't think Ethiopia is very practical for white colonization, given its rugged terrain and established hierarchy. But that may just be me.
 
Also, I don't think Ethiopia is very practical for white colonization, given its rugged terrain and established hierarchy. But that may just be me.
The Highlands aren't for certain. The southwestern and southern provinces are quite fertile so depending on the state of the insurgency there, you could see some Italian settlement there.
 
What vaccine for Sleeping Sickness?

Vacines were not the single enabler. There was none for Malaria in 1900, but the US managed to turn Panama into a defacto colony through understanding and dealing with the Malaria carrier. Ditto for Yellow Jack Fever. Then there was chemical prophlaxis using Atraibine & Quinine.
 

marathag

Banned
Vacines were not the single enabler. There was none for Malaria in 1900, but the US managed to turn Panama into a defacto colony through understanding and dealing with the Malaria carrier. Ditto for Yellow Jack Fever. Then there was chemical prophlaxis using Atraibine & Quinine.
USA spent over $300M for the Lock and excavations and almost as much for infrastructure improvements to make 550 Square Miles of the Canal Zone as inhabitable as Florida.

There was real incentive to spend that much in making a new country and then build a Canal thru it. Nothing in Africa could match that during the peak era of migrations from Europe

And Columbia wasn't as bad as Coastal Africa. Sleeping Sickness today still is far harder to treat than Malaria, and there isn't relief in looking at simple compounds from bark to treat Sleeping Sickness
 
But even then Libya isn't the only option right? There was a pretty large Italian colonist community in Eritrea, although mostly in Asmara OTL, that could be increased. Then there would be Somalia and Ethiopia, which really had no Italian settlement that I know of. In Italian Somalia there were a few administrators and such in the colony, but if the Italians go full Portugal, Mogadishu (in this timeline Mogadiscio) could become a large Italian settlement. Also, I don't think Ethiopia is very practical for white colonization, given its rugged terrain and established hierarchy. But that may just be me.
Italian Somaliland was about 5% Italian (half of those in Mogadiscio) but it did give a framework for how things could work. There's a lot of irrigation and other agricultural improvements to be built in Somalia which would make for various settler colonies of Italians. But considering Italian interests in Libya, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, plus OTL Italian settlement in Tunisia, that's a lot of land which is competing for the same pool of settlers.
 
Italian Somaliland was about 5% Italian (half of those in Mogadiscio) but it did give a framework for how things could work. There's a lot of irrigation and other agricultural improvements to be built in Somalia which would make for various settler colonies of Italians. But considering Italian interests in Libya, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, plus OTL Italian settlement in Tunisia, that's a lot of land which is competing for the same pool of settlers.

Why would anyone move from Italy to someplace as unstable and disorderly as Somalia?
 
Germany wins WW2 and turns increasingly repressive to the French, over time the French refugee population allow for French majority populations to keep large portions of west Africa allowing free France to stabilize of it's holdings in Africa long term.
 
Why would anyone move from Italy to someplace as unstable and disorderly as Somalia?
Because it wasn't unstable or disorderly back then? And because they did it in such numbers that they made up 5% of Italian Somaliland's population? Italy kept the peace with the usual colonial repression back in the day so it wouldn't be too bad a choice for your typical Southern Italian emigrant.
 
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