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Chapter Eighty: The Spoils of Africa

Chapter Eighty: The Spoils of Africa​

America had begun interest in Africa by colonising Liberia. Spain, the British, the Dutch, the Germans and eventually the French had also become interested in the vast lands of Africa. Spain had morocco, France had taken Algeria while the recently independent Italy had a growing influence in Libya and Egypt. The colony of Liberia was one of the largest and most prosperous though most of the western influence was regulated to the coast. The Congo was a heavily contested point in Africa claimed by America , the Dutch and the Germans. By the early 1880s many factors including diplomatic successes, greater western local knowledge, and the demand of resources such as gold, timber, and rubber, triggered dramatically increased involvement in the continent of Africa. Lovelace wanted their colonies to be free and that their subjects should be open to rights they deserved as America ns after ten years of being a part of the country. Lovelace also believed more land could lead to more business as companies would rush to invest. The race for colonies made Germany start launching expeditions of its own, which frightened both British and Spanish statesmen. Hoping to quickly soothe the brewing conflict, President Lovelace convinced Britain and Germany that common trade in Africa was in the best interests of all three countries. Under support from the America ns and the initiative of Portugal, Otto von Bismarck, the prime minster of Germany, called on representatives of 13 nations in Europe as well as the United States to take part in the Berlin Conference in 1884 to work out joint policy on the African continent.

The General Act fixed the following points in Africa:

To gain public acceptance, the conference (pushed by America and France) agreed to end slavery by African and Islamic powers. Today it could be considered the first modern international law as each country apart of the deal agreed to make slavery illegal permanently. Scandinavia would follow in 1889, Russia would follow in 1890 and the Ottoman empire would finally follow in 1897. A joint colonial society was set up in Switzerland called “International Association for the protections of Africans, it would be a predecessor for what was to come but would focus on stopping any form of slavery or slave trade.

The powers would have free trade throughout the Congo Basin as well as Lake Malawi

The Niger and Congo rivers were made free for ship traffic.

A nation could not claim land If it did not have significant occupational forces or administration in the area they are claiming.

Definition of regions in which each power had an exclusive right to pursue the legal ownership of land. A power must prove it has attempted to pressure legal and peaceful measures before invasion to the IAPA.

The Scramble for Africa sped up after the Conference since even within areas designated as their sphere of influence, the European powers had to take effective possession by the principle of effectivity. In central Africa in particular, expeditions were dispatched to coerce traditional rulers into signing treaties. Bedouin- and Berber-ruled states in the Sahara and the Sub-Sahara were overrun by the French in several wars and purchases. With south African aid the America ns moved up from South Africa while Italy moved down from Egypt.

Within a few years, Africa was at least nominally divided up south of the Sahara. By 1895, the only independent states were:

Ethiopian Empire, the only free native state, which fended off Italian invasion from Eritrea in the First Italo-Ethiopian War of 1889–1896.

South Africa: it had become free from Britain during the great collapse and had warm relations with America . Aiding them in pulsing up to colonise parts of Africa.​

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