By the end of the Age of Imperialism, ninety percent of Africa was divided among seven European nations. The Europeans established colonies through imperialism, completely dominating the land and its native people. Although similar in this brutal style, each nation that participated had different motives for controlling new lands. Britain, arguably the strongest country in the world at the time, used imperialism to benefit itself. The British had rational reasons for practicing imperialism in Africa, such as protecting their route to India, improving trade, and competing with other nations.
Although initially uninterested in Africa, Britain soon found that controlling certain parts of the continent was crucial to maintaining rule over India, its most valuable colony. The British had to protect Cape Town, located at the tip of South Africa, because it was an essential stop on the route to India. The long journey was too taxing on the British merchants without a safe place to rest along the way. Furthermore, gold and diamonds were discovered in South Africa, making it desirable to the British, who annexed the entire region (Cullen). They also claimed it to eliminate any potential threat to Cape Town because, as Anthony Trollope wrote, “various white men set themselves seriously to work in searching the banks of the Vaal” (Halsall). They did not want foreigners to gain wealth from the precious stones because they may have become powerful enough to attack the town or disturb their often-used route to India (Cullen).
Then, a shorter, more efficient route to India was discovered- the Suez Canal, which was controlled by the French. The canal went through Egypt and connected Europe to Asia, making it unnecessary to circumnavigate Africa. The British wanted to take over the Suez Canal to save the time and cost of sailing around Africa, and, additionally, to keep the French from taking India away from them, which was possible if they could travel there faster than the British (Baldwin). Accordingly, they bought shares of the canal until they had more than the French, giving them control of it. The Egyptians rebelled and the British defeated them, but without unnecessary cruelty (Cullen). To prevent future problems from the Egyptians that might become an inconvenience for British passage through the canal, they put a new khedive into power. Since the khedive was chosen and given authority by the British, they had control over him. They allowed the Egyptians to be ruled by an Egyptian even after they rebelled, and the British still had indirect control to protect the Suez Canal and India (Baldwin). Subsequently, Britain was given other motives to establish more colonies in Africa.
The British began founding colonies throughout Africa. The main reason was to expand trade. After the Industrial Revolution, Britain had begun to produce more goods than its people could use (Barton). Consequently, the prices dropped, and England went through the Long Depression, and everyone in the country suffered. England had the best economy at the time and desperately tried to find a way to maintain it. Thus, it was decided to find new markets in other parts of the world where they could sell the surplus, and they wanted more raw materials with which to make goods to gain profits. They established colonies to trade with, and England’s economy (Luderfield). Friedrich List wrote that “England’s manufacturing capacity excels in importance that of all other nations,” which “came from the great demand for manufactured goods which by her wise and energetic policy she has known how to create in foreign lands, and especially in her colonies” (Nicholson). Other than improving trade, the British also wanted to get allies in case of war, which seemed imminent because of the frequent conflicts with other nations in the scramble to claim land (Liu).
Competition greatly increased the number of British colonies as the other European countries quickly became more competent with Britain. Before, the rest of Europe had been unstable with wars and revolutions, and Britain had been comfortable with few others practicing imperialism (Barton). Suddenly, many countries started joining the race, namely France, which had recently been in the Franco-Prussian War, and Germany, which had just been unified. They started imperialism to gain national pride, and soon Britain, France, and Germany were all competing to get the best land for their country (Liu). The British wholeheartedly agreed with Giuseppe Mazzini when he wrote, “Let each man among you regard himself as a guarantor, responsible for his fellow-countrymen, and learn so to govern his actions as to cause his country to be loved and respected through him” (Halsall). Moreover, Britain was unprepared for the sudden competition and grew paranoid, thinking France and Germany would take all the land left in Africa and proceed to conquer Britain’s lands. They felt they had to hurry before all the land was claimed so they began rapidly establishing even more colonies in Africa (Cullen).
The British practiced imperialism not to exploit the Africans, but to help all of Britain, which they did, shown by their success in protecting India, improving their economy, and fighting competition. Their rule over India brought in a lot of money, and protecting it was what started their colonization of Africa. Establishing more colonies was the solution to Britain’s economic difficulties and also gave them national glory, helping them remain wealthier and more powerful than any other European nation. Britain practiced imperialism as a predator makes its kill, not to hurt the prey, but to sustain itself.
Works Cited
Baldwin, Scott. “Imperialism in Africa.” 2005. 19 May, 2007.
Barton, Lara J. Why did the British Empire expand so rapidly between 1870 and 1900?” 2002. 6 May, 2007.
Cullen, Valerie. “The Cause of British Imperialism.” 1998. 6 May, 2007.
Halsall, Paul. “Imperialism.” 1999. 19 May, 2007.
Liu, Henry. “The New Imperialism.” 2003. 19 May, 2007.
Luderfield, David. The History of Britain. New York: Reed Educational and Professional Publishing, 1998.
Nicholson, J. Shield. “The English.” 2003. 20 May, 2007.
