The Berlin Conference Of 1884/85and the Partition of Africa

.


The European rivalry for colonies in Africa had reached an alarming situation by 1884. Most serious European clashes occurred in the strategic positions of Africa e.g. in Egypt between France and Britain, in Congo between France and Belgium, in the Niger Delta states between France trading companies and Britain trading companies. Bismark, the then German empire Chancellor realised that international rivalry over Congo was likely to cause a strong war among Europeans in the African continent.
He then called the Berlin conference in 1884 of the powers concerned in scramble to diM:USS their claims for African territories and to reach an agreement in a peaceful way of partitioning the continent among themselves. Bismark's initiative has been attributed to his ambition to become the central figure in search for international peace and stability that It may also have been done for his desire to make Germany claims on the African continent be recognised by other European powers.
The conference that met from November 1884 to June 1885 was attended by France, Britain, Germany, Portugal and King Leopold II of Belgium representing the international African Association of Congo. Although the conference was called to solve conflicts over Congo, Egypt and the Niger Basin, its effects were far reaching for the whole of the African continent between 1884 to 1900.
Among others, the conference at Berlin solved a number of problems and laid down procedures to be followed by the powers in the acquisition of territories in the African continent,
The main decisions or provisions reached on in the conference included the following
King Leopold II of Belgium had legal claims over the Congo that became to be known as
the Congo Free State C.F.S.
There would be freedom of trade in the Congo Basin and rivers Congo and Niger were to be opened for Navigation by all interested European powers.
Any power claiming any part of Africa was supposed to back it up with effective occupation of the area.
Any power to occupy the coastal area of any part of Africa had a legal right to extend her influence into the hinterland area i.e. the hinterland theory of the Berlin conference.
There was to be free access to the interior of Africa by traders, missionaries and other
Against of the colonisation in order to avoid slave trade and promote the western civilisation
In order to avoid slave trade and to promote western civilisation among others.
Significance    of The  Berlin  Conference    to the  Partition   of Africa. The  Berlin   conference     aimed   at  solving    problems    that  came   out  of  the  scramble    and partition    of  Africa.    In  short,   it  did   not   partition    Africa   but   laid   down   the  necessary procedures    to  be  taken   by  the  powers   that   were   already    involved    in the  scrambling    of Africa.  The   Berlin   conference     played    a  significant     role   in  the  colonisation      of  Africa    in  the following ways:  1.    It solved  the Congo   Crisis  that  would   have  resulted   into  a European   war.  King   Leopold's claims  were  recognised    and  the area  became   known   as Congo   Free  State.  2.    Increased    the  speed  of  partition   of  Africa   through   its policies   of  effective   occupation    i.     countries essential European    that  had  temporarily    taken   over  some  temtories    had  to  quickly   put  in place  the infrastructure     in  order   to  honour    their   claims    and   beat   off  other   interested powers.  3.    It reduced   the  possibility    of  serious   clashes   between   the  great  powers   as  they  partitioned Africa.   This  was  possible   because   any  power   claiming   an)'  part  of Africa   was  formally   to notify  other  powers   since  many  coastal   areas  were  already  occupied   by one  colonial   power or the other.  The  hinterland   theory  didn't   cause  many problems.  4.     The   Berlin   provision     of  effective    occupation     was  probably    the   most   effective    in  the colonisation      of Africa.   Any  power   claiming   an area  was  expected   to support   her  claim  by developing        that  area  infrastructure.     This   meant   the  establishment     of  physical    and  social emenities    like  schools.   hospitals.   roads  and  recreational    centers.   They  also  had  to establish adrnir istration in that  area.  impose   taxation   in order  to challenge    any  mrerested   European rival.  .3    The  conference     opened   the  interior    of  Africa    for  colonisation.     Most    European    powers which   had   established     themselves     on  the  coastal    areas   were   given    chance    to  put  the hinterland    zones  under  their  control   e.g.  Britain   in West  Africa   took  the  oil  river,  France took   Senegal,    while   Portugal    took   Angola    and  Mozambique.     It  helped    these   people   to have   legal   claims    over   the  interior    hence    leading    to  colonisation      of   various    African regions.     The  conference   instructed    Bntain    to  stop  its  previous   habits   of preventing    other  colonial powers   from  occupying    African   territories    i.e.  after  this  conference    Belgium   was  able  to continue    operating    In Congo.  France   continued    its operations    in  Niger   region   and  other European powers  were free  to participate   in colonisation    of Africa.  The  conference    drew   boundaries     of  different    European    spheres    of  influence.    This  was important   because   each  country   knew  its boundary    in Afncan   region.   However   this  theory led  to  the  issue   or  ethniciry    (tribahsm)     hence    leading    to  future   national    political    and economic    problems    e.g  III East   Africa,    the  boundary    between    uganda    and  Kenya   cut across the  Samia tribe. The conference also ensured  that no European-powers   wilt ally with an Afncan  state  to oppose the European colonialism. For this matter the colonisers found it easy to defeat  the africa resistors  against  them. This is because whereas   the Europeans  had agreed to unite in dominating   Africa;   the  Africans  .were disunited along religious,   tribal   and other philosophical line  accelerated  the  scramble   for  African  territories. because   after  this  conference   many European nations sent out their agents officially  to colonise  African  territories.  e.g. Karl Peters in Tanganyika, ·SinGeorge Goldie, in Nigeria and H.M Stanley in Congo plus many other .~imperial  agents  rushed  to Africa  after  the, signing  of·~e   Berlin  act and  secured  a member of treaties  from  African  Chiefs' which  resulted  into the colonisation of different african  territories:                                                                    Nevertheless the conference  failed to stop slave-trade  e.g, in northern  Nigeria  slave trade continued even after  1884. In Africa after  1884 there were  isolated  cases of conflicts  e.g. the Fashoda incident of 1896 in Sudan between  Britain and France.  Another weakness  was that it never established  an organised  body to keep supervising  the implementation of the  Berlin  act.  This  is why  some  colonial   powers  got  a chance  to challenge some of the Berlin conference  articles  e.g. Leopold  II of Belgium  Congo never allowed   other  European  powers  to operate  in the Congo  basin  as it was  decided  in the Berlin conference.  Navigation on river Niger was also a pure monopoly  of British  traders. Even missionaries, imperialists  and  other  agents  of  Western   civilisation    were  barred   from  operating in colonies  controlled by powers not of their home origin.  In conclusion  therefore  Berlin  conference  was an important  step in the scramble  and partition of Africa  as important  procedures  of how  Africa  was to be officially  controlled European  powers  was  made  in this  conference   although  it had  some  weaknesses   as seen above.  Revision questions. Examine the significance  of 1884-1885 Berlin conference  in the scramble  and partition  of Africa. Do you agree  to the  view  that  the  Berlin  conference   was  a landmark  to the  history  of Africa upto   19141 Why was Africa partitioned  officially  in 1884? Clue:     (reasons  for the delay of partition  of Africa).