Scramble for Africa

The Scramble for Africa was the period between the 1880s and the start of World War I, when colonial empires in Africa proliferated more rapidly than anywhere else on the globe. It is the canonical example of the New Imperialism.

Related Topics:
1880s - World War I - Colonial - Africa - New Imperialism

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The latter half of 19th century saw the transition from an "informal" empire of control through military and economic dominance to direct control, marked from the 1870s on by the scramble for territory in areas previously regarded as merely under Western influence. The Berlin Conference mediated the imperial competition among Britain, France and Germany, defining "effective occupation" as the criterion for international recognition of colonial claims and codifying the imposition of direct rule, accomplished usually through armed force.

Related Topics:
Berlin Conference - Britain - France - Germany

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For information on the colonization of Africa prior to the 1880s, including Carthaginian and early European colonization, see Colonization of Africa.

Related Topics:
1880s - Colonization of Africa

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