The effects of the British occupation of Egypt.

Egypt lost her independence to Britain and France was outplayed from Egypt and she turned to West Africa for compensation where she acquired a lot of territories such as Senegal, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Mali. This created Haste in the scramble and partition drama.
2. France developed :1 desire to control the Nile river valley in order to bring Britain to her Knees as regards Britain's Interests in Egypt in light of how important was the Nile waters to Egyptians.
3 France thought it was possible to link her Western colony of Senegal and others to that of Eastern end of Africa. i.e, the French Somali land where she could get a chance to control the Nile 'waters in Sudan and threaten British life in Egypt. This explains why France
acquired a continuous block of territories in West Africa some of which were dry, infertile and sometimes used force in acquiring them. e.g. the acquisition of Mandika empire of Sarnoure Toure.
The British expansion:
This expansion towards the Nile valley from West Africa brought about a change in the British colonial policy especially on how to control Sudan. This culumimated into the famous Fashoda incidence when a contingent of French troops led by captain Marchand moving eastwards from west Africa encountered with Anglo-Egyptian troops moving down from Egypt trying to block the French. They met in Sudan at a place known as f ashoda geographically full of sand banks as it was in a desert region. The Anglo- Egyptian troops were led by Lord Kitchener and in 1896 the two forces almost went to war hence the famous "Fashoda incident" in Sudan.
The French troops being inferior to those of the British, Captain Marchand had to withdraw his forces leaving Britain takeover the control of Sudan after silencing the Mahdists government of Khaliph Abdallah and in 1898 the British declared Sudan as its colony.
It was the same strategic motive over Egypt that led to the scramble for Uganda as the source of River Nile. France advancing from Rwanda trying to bring the source of River Nile under its control, Belgium from Congo republic and Germany from Tanganyika all targeting to conquer Uganda, the source of the Nile so as to paralyse the life of Britain in Egypt. Britain couldn't afford seeing the source of the Nile in the hands of another European power. In 1890, Britain signed the Heligo land treaty with Germany by which Uganda became a British protectorate which pushed off other contending colonisers
ganda being a landlocked country, it was important to open the way to the coast from
Uganda which forced Britain to take over the control of Kenya to the coast and yet Kenya as not under British control, this is why after 1895 British control of Kenya building of Uganda railway had to begin in 1896 under William Macknon with its headquarters in
mombasa town.
The British occupation of Egypt also led to the Germany intervention in the scramble drama. Germany supported the differences between Britain and France so as to get a chance to bring some African territories under her control when these two historical colonizing powers were busy in conflicts e.g. Bismark of Germany encouraged Britain to tighten her control on Egypt on one hand and encouraged France to go elsewhere to acquire territories to compensate for her loss of Egypt. At the same time Bismark aimed at making France forget its lost territories of Alsace and Lorraine which Germany had- annexed in 1871 Franco-Prussian war hence making France to rush to West Africa to
Acquire as many territories as possible.
Meanwhile Germany used the opportunity of conflicts to satisfy the interests of her Germany merchants at home who were pestering their government of Chancellor Bismark come to Africa and look for colonies so as to promote their commercial activities in Africa by opening up Markets and sources of raw materials just like other European
countries which were successful at the time. Following this, Germany declared protectorates over Togo-land land In 1884, Cameroon, Namibia and Tanganyika hence the British occupation of Egypt brought Germany into the scrambling race of the African continent,
9. With the British occupation of Egypt, the imperialist minded Cecil Rhodes of BSACo started thinking of how the whole of Africa would be put under British control i.e. "painting Africa red" where red meant the colour of British flag. Cecil Rhodes wanted to
link Cape 1 own to Cairo by railway and this policy led to colonisation of central African
societies like Matebele and Mathona-Iand.
To block Cecil Rhodes' plans, Portugal had strengthened her hold on to Angola and Mozambique, Belgium was already in Congo, and France in Rwanda. Germany controlling Tanganyika and Namibia and this demarcation hindered Cecil Rhodes dreams of connecting South Afncan territories to those of North Africa.
10 The other strategic areas which increased the partition and scramble were the establishment
of port Alexandria by the British to check sea pirates on the Mediterranean sea, the coast of
I ast Aft ica, the coast of West Africa all were very important to the Bntish because she
wanted to protect her, trade and naval power This made other colonial powers to take over the rernammg African strategic points, for example. Portugal and France on the Coast of Congo
11 The British occupation of Egypt equally increased the scramble and partition of Africa but
it is also dear that Africa would have been colonised whether or n9t Britain colonised
egypt In 1882, therefore it acted as an accelerator for the scramble for and partition of
africa but not an initiator. This IS because the scramble had started before 1882 as
supported by the following factors.
I Fhe exercise for the abolition of slave trade had begun as early as 1780's by the British which resulted into introduction of legitmate trade It was very much concerned with production of cash crops that European industria ists needed plus the need for market of
Market of these products which was enough to cause the drama for scramble and partition come to a
Climax thus making the 1882 incident minor.
11 By this time, Europeans were very many in Zanzibar and the Portuguese were already in coastal areas of Angola and Mozambique for trading activities, therefore with the hintertand theory of Berlin conference these countnes would have entered into the interior and colonise various African territories as the theory stipulated.
III. On top of this, trading companies had started conflicting in African continent by 1882
WhICh necessrtated the commg in of their home governments to take over their responsibilities if the process of colonisation was to be achieved peacefully i.e. the R.N.C, in West Africa was competing for trade monopoly with the French trading companies which forced the British government to take over the control of many oil states (Niger Delta states).
iv. By 1882, various groups of missionaries were already operating in African territories where they had faced problems like African hostility and they had started appealing for home protection from European governments and actually they came and took over the control of the respective areas where their missionary groups had been operating.
The Cape Town in South Africa was also another strategic point which attracted many European explorers and the Dutch in particular who stayed there until the coming of the British who invaded·them in 1805 in their original land in Cape Province hence leading to
1835 great Trek upheaval in South Africa. This kind of competition for land which started in South Africa would have spread to the whole of Africa where different European tribes would have met thus leading to scramble for and partition of Africa before 1882.
vi By 1882 king Leopold's activities were already in Congo (1876) which culminated into severe conflicts by a number of European powers which were solved by the calling of the Berlin conference in 1884-85.
vii. By this time, Europeans were very many in Zanzibar and the Portuguese were already in coastal areas of Angola and Mozambique for trading activrties, therefore with this hinterland theory of Berhn conference these countries would have entered into the interior and colonise various African territories as the theory stipulated.
viii The French at that time were already in Somali land, Algeria, Tunisia and were in Congo Basin by 1875. By 1806, British had landed at the Cape of Good Hope (Cape Province), and by 1835, they had chased away the Dutch and established themselves in the area for mineral exploitation a factor that brought many other Europeans in Africa.
By 1856 Florence Nightangale had discovered quimne drug for malaria. This disease had scaled down the influx of Europeans into Africa as, for example, West Africa had been branded as a "white man's grave" at the beginning of the 19th Century. Thus after 1860, European imperialists came in large numbers.
By 1875, the first missionary group had arrived in East Africa. In 1840, missionary enterprises were progressive in West Africa although with minimum success while in
1860, many missionary groups were operating in central Africa. Incisive scholars have accused missionaries of being fore runners of colonialism in Africa. Therefore without
1882 take over of Egypt by Britain, still scramble for and. partition of Africa would have been inevitable.
Therefore, the economic, social and political conditions in Europe had created favourable circumstances for the partition of Africa. The British occupation of Egypt in 1882 was not a primary factor for the scramble and partition of Africa. It only accelerated the process that was already in Africa by 1882.