Opening

• Based on what you know about European colonization of the Americas, hypothesize some effects it might have on Africa.

• Complete sentences

European ColonizationWhere the trouble began...?

Today’s Standard(s)

• The student will describe the interaction of physical and human systems that have shaped contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa.

• f. Analyze strengths and weaknesses in the development of Sub-Saharan Africa; include factors such as linguistic, tribal, and religious diversity; literacy levels; and the colonial legacy.

Early ContactEuro. explorers arrived in the 1400s

as Euro. settled Amer., workers were needed, Africans sold into slavery to fill labor need

Euro. bought slaves from African leaders with manufactured goods, usually guns

known as the gun- slave cycle

exploration of the African continent by Europeans began in 1795

Colonizationw/ tales of Af. beauty & treasures, Euro. scrambled to claim territories

settled conflicts among themselves w/ Berlin Conference in 1884- 1885 & divided up Africa while avoiding conflicts w/ one another

drew boundaries w/o regard for landforms, climate regions, cultures, ethnic groups, migration paths, etc

in order to occupy a possession, the nation had to prove that they controlled sufficient authority

except Liberia & Ethiopia all African countries were under European rule by 1900

Colonization Cont.Major players @ Berlin Conf.:France, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal

Great Britain desired a Cape-to-Cairo collection of colonies

France took much of western Africa

Portugal took Mozambique and Angola

Italy's holdings = Somalia and a portion of Ethiopia.

Germany took Namibia and Tanzania

Spain claimed smallest territory - Equatorial Guinea

Colonial Case Study and Independence

The Belgian Congo

The Belgian Congowas once property of King Leopold II of Belgium

treated it as personal property & treated the people as slaves

exploited wild rubber for his own financial gain

under Leopold’s rule 1/2 of region’s population died

1908 turned over to Belgian gov’t & conditions improved

Belgian Congo Cont.1960 gained independence violence & unrest followed

few Africans trained in gov’t, education, or service industries

1971 military dictator Mobutu Sese Seko comes to power changed the country’s name to Zaire

1997 democratic gov’t came to power changed name to Dem. Rep. Of Congo

Independencestruggle for independence began as soon as Europeans arrived

after WWII pressure for independence grew

1st country to gain independence was Libya in 1951

today all African countries are again independent

Left over ProblemsEuropean political boundaries remain

problems caused by current political boundaries:

mixing of ethnic groups

landlocked states

only 1 climate in a country, limiting agriculture

most Africans want democracy, but some leaders say a one party system can achieve goals faster

unrest, & revolutions often threaten some African countries

Exit Ticket

• Answer this question in 5-8 sentences. Explain how the European Colonization has impacted Africa today