11. WHY DID EUROPEAN POWERS RIVALIN THE MAGHREB REGION BETWEEN 1870-1914

Approach
•    Briefly describe Maghreb region, give European powers that rivaled in the area.
•   Give reasons why they rivaled.
Conclude.
Background
•   The Maghreb   region refers to the region occupied   by Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco   and Libya.
•    Before the 19th century, these countries were under the Ottoman Empire.
•    However beginning   from the19thcentury, several European powers developed   interest in the Maghreb and thus conflicted   over territorial; acquisition.
•    France  and Italy  rivaled  over Tunisia,  France  and Spain  over  Morocco (Tangier  crisis of1905),   France  and German  over Morocco  in 1911 (Agadir crisis) and France  rivaled  with Italy over  Libya,
Points to consider   :
1.   Desire  to gratify  the army which  had been  frustrated  by the collapse  of  Napoleonic  era by France  made  her conflict  with Italy over Tunisia.
2.    Desire to stop slave trade and slavery,
3.   Desire to stop the problem of piracy on the Mediterranean   Sea who were hampering with marine trade.
4.   They wanted to undermine the influence of the Ottoman Empire
5.   The progressive   population growth in European powers.
6.   Need to spread Christianity   and to check on the spread of Islam.
7.   Growing commerce in the region, so there’s need to invest surplus capital
in the region
8. Need for raw materials e.g. petroleum,   wheat, citrus fruit, berry, zinc and phosphate.
9. Proximity of the region to Europe.  Geographically   the Italian peninsular is very close to Libya and only separated by the Mediterranean   Sea.
10. Strategic  importance  of Maghreb  countries  e.g. morocco  with the Gibraltar straits  which  was the gate  way to the Mediterranean   sea, Algeria  had commercial  and military  defensive  purposes.
11. Nationalism and public opinion in   Europe.
12. Berlin conference of 1879 and that of 1884-85 with its theory of effective occupation.
13. Need for market
14. Double stand nature of European countries made them to conflict in the Maghreb
15. Darwinism   theory Desire for prestige.
16. Impact of the Franco-Prussian  war and  losses  in Africa  by France  for  instance  Fashoda,  Congo,  Egypt among others.
17. Need to check on the rise and growth of Pan-Islamic movement.
18. It was time for scramble and partition of Africa so Maghreb countries were no exception.
19. Long time desire by the French to create an ancient Roman Empire
20. French occupation of Algeria in 1830.