Industrialization in 19th century Sokoto Caliphate

What should my next thread be about?

  • No Sahara!?

    Votes: 11 44.0%
  • Thou shalt not pass...

    Votes: 9 36.0%
  • A more egalitarian world.

    Votes: 5 20.0%

  • Total voters
    25
Sokoto needs about 100x more stability than it had historically. There were at least three major civil wars from its beginning to end and God only knows how many smaller ones. Every emir pretty much ran his own show and paid only nominal heed to the central government.

I'd be dubious of industrialization ever taking off there.
 
I've been thinking maybe you could get African countries like Sokoto to want to modernize because of Livingstone's three Cs (Civilization, Commerce and Christianity). If this trio of words starting with Cs would be implemented earlier in the 19th century you could get Sokoyo interested in developing the pre-industrial infrastructure that was there in Meiji Japan. European influence could make Sokoto more stable and the large production of Cotton and Dye along their coal reserves could go a long way in the Industrialization of this country, but the only problem is how to implement the three Cs in the early 1800s. What are your thoughts on that?

"Commerce" would be easiest to implement it seems. If Sokoto is already producing specialized textiles and dyes, all that seems to be needed is they produce enough for export to surrounding African nations and then later to Europeans. They can use the money they gain from this to invest in weaponry to make themselves capable of defending themselves from would be colonizers. "Civilization" is going to be somewhat linked to "Christianity" and I don't see Sokoto converting to Christianity so the Europeans would just have to deal with that. "Civilization" is highly subjective as well. Donning western dress would have limited benefits and might result in a wider backlash against industrialization. The best thing, imo, Sokoto could do would be to have an education system in place that brings in a mix of native and western professors to educate its elite and middle class. Education is key and in a sense gives the nation tools to develop in a way beneficial to itself and industrialize in a way that benefits Sokoto.
 
Could sokoto perhaps survive as a buffer state between the British and French colonies?

Theoretically yes. In actuality, the state exerted so little control over its subdivisions that playing them off the central authority left them massive inroads into the country.

Whats better is if the Europeans don't expand much into the interior of West Africa and stick to the coastal enclaves thereby not discovering the house of cards that was the Sokoto government.
 
"Commerce" would be easiest to implement it seems. If Sokoto is already producing specialized textiles and dyes, all that seems to be needed is they produce enough for export to surrounding African nations and then later to Europeans. They can use the money they gain from this to invest in weaponry to make themselves capable of defending themselves from would be colonizers. "Civilization" is going to be somewhat linked to "Christianity" and I don't see Sokoto converting to Christianity so the Europeans would just have to deal with that. "Civilization" is highly subjective as well. Donning western dress would have limited benefits and might result in a wider backlash against industrialization. The best thing, imo, Sokoto could do would be to have an education system in place that brings in a mix of native and western professors to educate its elite and middle class. Education is key and in a sense gives the nation tools to develop in a way beneficial to itself and industrialize in a way that benefits Sokoto.

Yes, the Sokoto guys would be hard to convert. By "Civilization" I think that Livingstone was talking about stuff like Transport(roads and rails), Communication (telegraphs and postal services) Health care and Education. With the help of the British a telegraph line was set up, and the British did build a railway through Kenya that eventually reached Uganda, so in to abortion of the Sramble for Africa (which I shall refer to as SFA) whereby European countries are less concerned with the colonization of Africa and not much expansion occurs beyond what European nations already had before 1880 if you could get a situation similar to what happened in Zanzibar whereby Sokoto is a protectorate by a given Euro(pean) nation but the Sokoto leader still has some authority, then that Euro nation helps Sokoto to Westernize by adopting Western systems of Education and Health care, Modernize by getting modern systems of Transport and Communication and eventually Industrialize by using the adopted technologies to develop her Textile and Dye industries, and develop more along the way. Sokoto had a lot of artisans, so during industrialization the utilization of new techonologies e.g. the conveyor belt system and Sokoto's coal reserves could see lots of factories with mass production come into place. Coal could also be an important export item. European influence would go a long way in stabilizing Sokoto, but how do you think the Euro nation would affect how it would develop e.g. how would British influence be different from say French influence? What are your thoughts on that?
 
Okay, it's been a while, I believe my thread doesn't have much more time, so I shall now announce the final poll results.

No Sahara!?- 9 votes

Thou shalt not pass...- 6 votes

A more egalitarian world.- 3 votes

I guess No Sahara!? bags the victory.

I also guess that I can explain to you what they mean.

No Sahara!? is, as the name suggests, is a timeline on a world where the Sahara never comes into existence, and the effects it has on the development of civilization in Africa and the implications it has on the world. It will take some time for me to make this thread because it will be a timeline and all timelines need to be well thought out. What are your ideas on this?

Thou shalt not pass... is another timeline about Aksum in which the Aksumites are able to expand into pre-Mohammedan Arabia and creates a barrier for the expansion of Islam into the Horn of Africa. What are your thoughts on that?

A more egalitarian world. is a discussion on how the power balance between Africa, Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Americas could have been more balanced. What are your thoughts on that?

It's been a good run, but I think it's time to let go now. Thank you for making this thread one of the most successful in my lifetime. ;)
What do you think a Sokoto that managed to industrialize in the 19th century look like today?
 
Okay, it's been a while, I believe my thread doesn't have much more time, so I shall now announce the final poll results.

No Sahara!?- 9 votes

Thou shalt not pass...- 6 votes

A more egalitarian world.- 3 votes

I guess No Sahara!? bags the victory.

I also guess that I can explain to you what they mean.

No Sahara!? is, as the name suggests, is a timeline on a world where the Sahara never comes into existence, and the effects it has on the development of civilization in Africa and the implications it has on the world. It will take some time for me to make this thread because it will be a timeline and all timelines need to be well thought out. What are your ideas on this?

Thou shalt not pass... is another timeline about Aksum in which the Aksumites are able to expand into pre-Mohammedan Arabia and creates a barrier for the expansion of Islam into the Horn of Africa. What are your thoughts on that?

A more egalitarian world. is a discussion on how the power balance between Africa, Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Americas could have been more balanced. What are your thoughts on that?

It's been a good run, but I think it's time to let go now. Thank you for making this thread one of the most successful in my lifetime. ;)
What do you think a Sokoto that managed to industrialize in the 19th century look like today?

I have a setting where Sokoto is basically an analogue to modern Iran--religiously devout, and with enough economic strength to spread its influence amongst its neighbours, including in military strength (which includes the potential of developing nuclear weapons).
 
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