The Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa was the rapid colonisation of the continent by European powers in the late nineteenth century.
▶ Interact
Play with the controls to see the idea in action.
📘 Learn
The Scramble for Africa was the rapid colonisation of the continent by European powers in the late nineteenth century.
- The Berlin Conference divided Africa
- Borders ignored local peoples
- Resources were exploited
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is The Scramble for Africa?
Within History, which covers ancient civilisations, empires, revolutions, world wars and the making of the modern world, this topic explains The Scramble for Africa. History topics connect events, people and ideas across time, so each one here gives a clear summary and a way to test your understanding.
Check that you can explain The Scramble for Africa in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding The Scramble for Africa helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
The Scramble for Africa in detail
In the late 19th century, European powers rapidly divided up almost all of Africa, from about 1880 to 1914. Causes included the search for raw materials and markets, national rivalry, strategic ports, missionary zeal and new technology such as steamships, quinine and machine guns.
At the Berlin Conference of 1884–85, the powers set rules for claiming land, with no African representatives, and borders were drawn without regard to ethnic groups. Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Portugal took control, and only Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent. Africans resisted, but the effects included forced labour, loss of land and long-lasting political problems, as in King Leopold's Congo.
How the interactive helps you understand The Scramble for Africa
Watch the globe in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the globe responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of The Scramble for Africa.
Real-life uses and examples
- Explain the causes and consequences of The Scramble for Africa in a well-structured paragraph.
- Compare The Scramble for Africa with another event to spot patterns of change and continuity.
- Build a timeline that shows when The Scramble for Africa happened and what came before and after.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing events without explaining why they happened.
- Treating one source as the whole story when you study The Scramble for Africa.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about The Scramble for Africa
What is The Scramble for Africa?
The Scramble for Africa was the rapid colonisation of the continent by European powers in the late nineteenth century.
What are the most important points about The Scramble for Africa?
The main points are: The Berlin Conference divided Africa; Borders ignored local peoples; Resources were exploited.
Why is The Scramble for Africa useful?
Understanding The Scramble for Africa helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
How can I practise The Scramble for Africa?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to The Scramble for Africa?
Related topics in History include The Causes of World War One, The Treaty of Versailles, The Rise of Fascism.