The Scramble for Africa
From “A History of Imperialism” by Heinrich Straußmann
One of the most common misconceptions about European imperialism in Africa is that it accomplished anything. Africa was conquered for national pride, and was maintained through brutal repression. African colonies were incredibly difficult to control, serving as little more than a waste of money that offered native rebellions and not much else.
The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 decided which European countries got which parts of Africa. In the end it was decided that Africa would be divided between the following empires;
Britain: The British were given control over the southern part of Africa, where they would commit numerous atrocities against the locals. They were also given Egypt, Somalia, Nigeria, the Gold Coast, northern Azania[1], Gambia and East Africa.
Belgium: Belgium was given control over the Congo. They would commit atrocities against the native Congolese.
France: The French were given control over a vast swath of west Africa knowns as France Africaine(African France).
Germany: The Germans were given Namibia, Kamerun, the southern part of Azania, and Madagascar.
Italy: The Italians were given Libya and Eritrea.
Russia: The Russians were given Djibouti[2]
Portugal: The Portuguese were given Angola and Mozambique
By the end of the conference, Ethiopia and Liberia were the only independent countries in Africa.
From “The Bloody Union Jack: The British Empire’s Legacy of Murder” by Nikolai Vasiliyev
The Boer Genocide is often seen as a precursor to the atrocities that would happen in Sorbia, the Confederacy, and India during the Twentieth Century. Triggered by the discovery of diamond and gold deposits in the Boer republics; the Orange Free State and the South African Republic. The British invaded and occupied the Boer republics, only to be met with resistance from the Boers, who engaged in guerilla warfare.
The British forces, led by Cecil Rhodes[3], came to the conclusion that the only way to defeat the Boers was to reduce their population to the point where they could not put up any resistance. The British would begin the process of rounding up Boer civilians and killing them. The Boers were interned in military camps, which British propaganda referred to as “refugee camps” but came to be known as “death camps”, where they would then be assigned a number and shot one by one.
Before the war, the Boer population was around 967,941. By the end, it was down to less than a thousand. The revelation of the genocide shocked and appalled the British population. In the 1900 election, Conservative Prime Minister Marquess of Salisbury was defeated by Liberal Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. Cecil Rhodes was forced to retire as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony in 1901, and would die of heart failure a year later. The genocide officially ended with Campbell-Bannerman’s election. Despite this, the United Kingdom still refuses to recognize the genocide, and in the Cape it is actually celebrated and Rhodes is considered a national hero. Boerstad has continually pushed for Britain and the Cape to recognize the genocide.
From “Asia in the Nineteenth Century” by James Franklin
The Hispano-Japanese War would signify the first time that a non-European power would decisively defeat a European one. In 1898, the Philippines declared independence from Spain. The Empire of Japan, a rising power in the region, took interest in the conflict. Japan invaded the Philippines, ostensibly to help the Filipinos. However, the Japanese soon revealed their true intentions, annexing the Philippines and replacing one foreign imperialist with another. The Filipinos would wage a guerilla campaign against Japan until they were defeated in 1902. Japan would soundly defeat the Spanish, who ceded the Philippines and Guam. Spain’s hopes vested in an intervention by the Russians, who feared the rise of Japan, however, the Russian Emperor Alexander II died just before the war started and Russia’s attentions turned inward. The war’s results would shocked Europe, as the predominant attitudes of the time suggested that Europeans were inherently genetically superior, and the defeat of a European nation by an Asian one forced many to question these preconceived ideas.
From “Tanzimat: The Ottoman Empire‘s Transition to Modernity” by Ismail Pasha
The Ottoman Empire’s reconciliation with Russia was made easier by Sultan Abdul Hamid’s own Russophilia[4] and the new Emperor Alexander III’s desire to avoid any more pointless wars. Russia would officially renounce its claim to “Tsargrad” and would begin to pursue a pro-Ottoman policy. Abdul Hamid would adopt a series of reforms inspired by those of Russian Emperor Alexander II, who turned Russia from a backwards autocracy stuck in the Middle Ages to the superpower that it is today. During this process, Russia would become an active trade partner of the Ottomans.
Abdul Hamid would model the Ottoman Empire’s industrialization off of Russia’s. Over the course of the 1890s, numerous factories would open in the Empire’s major cities. The Ottoman Empire’s industrialization would signal numerous societal changes, as would the Empire’s gradual democratization. Two factions would emerge, liberal, a pro-Russian, secular faction, and a conservative, anti-Russian, traditional Islamic faction. These factions would respectively form the Nationalist Party and the Traditionalist Party.
[1]”Azania“ is TTL’s name for the Swahili-speaking part of Africa, based on a medieval name for Eastern Africa
[2]Russia established a short-lived settlement in Djibouti called “Sagallo” in OTL, but they were kicked out by the French. ITTL, France’s Communard government is less interested in colonial affairs, and so the Russians are more successful.
[3]ITTL, Rhodes managed to avoid the fallout of the Jameson Raid and remain Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, to disastrous results
[4]Despite political tensions between Constantinople and Saint-Petersburg, Abdul Hamid was in fact very much a Russophile. He praised the Russian “civilization and authority”, and numerous Russian artists found work at his court. He even suggested for one of his sisters or daughters to marry Nicholas II, although for obvious reasons this never happened.
One of the most common misconceptions about European imperialism in Africa is that it accomplished anything. Africa was conquered for national pride, and was maintained through brutal repression. African colonies were incredibly difficult to control, serving as little more than a waste of money that offered native rebellions and not much else.
The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 decided which European countries got which parts of Africa. In the end it was decided that Africa would be divided between the following empires;
Britain: The British were given control over the southern part of Africa, where they would commit numerous atrocities against the locals. They were also given Egypt, Somalia, Nigeria, the Gold Coast, northern Azania[1], Gambia and East Africa.
Belgium: Belgium was given control over the Congo. They would commit atrocities against the native Congolese.
France: The French were given control over a vast swath of west Africa knowns as France Africaine(African France).
Germany: The Germans were given Namibia, Kamerun, the southern part of Azania, and Madagascar.
Italy: The Italians were given Libya and Eritrea.
Russia: The Russians were given Djibouti[2]
Portugal: The Portuguese were given Angola and Mozambique
By the end of the conference, Ethiopia and Liberia were the only independent countries in Africa.
From “The Bloody Union Jack: The British Empire’s Legacy of Murder” by Nikolai Vasiliyev
The Boer Genocide is often seen as a precursor to the atrocities that would happen in Sorbia, the Confederacy, and India during the Twentieth Century. Triggered by the discovery of diamond and gold deposits in the Boer republics; the Orange Free State and the South African Republic. The British invaded and occupied the Boer republics, only to be met with resistance from the Boers, who engaged in guerilla warfare.
The British forces, led by Cecil Rhodes[3], came to the conclusion that the only way to defeat the Boers was to reduce their population to the point where they could not put up any resistance. The British would begin the process of rounding up Boer civilians and killing them. The Boers were interned in military camps, which British propaganda referred to as “refugee camps” but came to be known as “death camps”, where they would then be assigned a number and shot one by one.
Before the war, the Boer population was around 967,941. By the end, it was down to less than a thousand. The revelation of the genocide shocked and appalled the British population. In the 1900 election, Conservative Prime Minister Marquess of Salisbury was defeated by Liberal Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. Cecil Rhodes was forced to retire as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony in 1901, and would die of heart failure a year later. The genocide officially ended with Campbell-Bannerman’s election. Despite this, the United Kingdom still refuses to recognize the genocide, and in the Cape it is actually celebrated and Rhodes is considered a national hero. Boerstad has continually pushed for Britain and the Cape to recognize the genocide.
From “Asia in the Nineteenth Century” by James Franklin
The Hispano-Japanese War would signify the first time that a non-European power would decisively defeat a European one. In 1898, the Philippines declared independence from Spain. The Empire of Japan, a rising power in the region, took interest in the conflict. Japan invaded the Philippines, ostensibly to help the Filipinos. However, the Japanese soon revealed their true intentions, annexing the Philippines and replacing one foreign imperialist with another. The Filipinos would wage a guerilla campaign against Japan until they were defeated in 1902. Japan would soundly defeat the Spanish, who ceded the Philippines and Guam. Spain’s hopes vested in an intervention by the Russians, who feared the rise of Japan, however, the Russian Emperor Alexander II died just before the war started and Russia’s attentions turned inward. The war’s results would shocked Europe, as the predominant attitudes of the time suggested that Europeans were inherently genetically superior, and the defeat of a European nation by an Asian one forced many to question these preconceived ideas.
From “Tanzimat: The Ottoman Empire‘s Transition to Modernity” by Ismail Pasha
The Ottoman Empire’s reconciliation with Russia was made easier by Sultan Abdul Hamid’s own Russophilia[4] and the new Emperor Alexander III’s desire to avoid any more pointless wars. Russia would officially renounce its claim to “Tsargrad” and would begin to pursue a pro-Ottoman policy. Abdul Hamid would adopt a series of reforms inspired by those of Russian Emperor Alexander II, who turned Russia from a backwards autocracy stuck in the Middle Ages to the superpower that it is today. During this process, Russia would become an active trade partner of the Ottomans.
Abdul Hamid would model the Ottoman Empire’s industrialization off of Russia’s. Over the course of the 1890s, numerous factories would open in the Empire’s major cities. The Ottoman Empire’s industrialization would signal numerous societal changes, as would the Empire’s gradual democratization. Two factions would emerge, liberal, a pro-Russian, secular faction, and a conservative, anti-Russian, traditional Islamic faction. These factions would respectively form the Nationalist Party and the Traditionalist Party.
[1]”Azania“ is TTL’s name for the Swahili-speaking part of Africa, based on a medieval name for Eastern Africa
[2]Russia established a short-lived settlement in Djibouti called “Sagallo” in OTL, but they were kicked out by the French. ITTL, France’s Communard government is less interested in colonial affairs, and so the Russians are more successful.
[3]ITTL, Rhodes managed to avoid the fallout of the Jameson Raid and remain Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, to disastrous results
[4]Despite political tensions between Constantinople and Saint-Petersburg, Abdul Hamid was in fact very much a Russophile. He praised the Russian “civilization and authority”, and numerous Russian artists found work at his court. He even suggested for one of his sisters or daughters to marry Nicholas II, although for obvious reasons this never happened.
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