Scramble for Africa: A Captivating Guide to Imperial Rivalries, Heroic Battles, and the Unfolding Legacy of the Continent, Including the Zulu War (Exploring Africa’s Past) by History Captivating

Author:History, Captivating
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-02-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 1 – Background

The beginnings of the British Empire can be traced to the late 16th and early 17th centuries when the British government acquired and developed trading posts from territorial possessions, primarily in the Americas along the East Coast of what is now the United States, in Canada, and in the Caribbean. But other small outposts also emerged in Africa, India, and the East Indies. This was enabled primarily by a powerful navy with support, as necessary, from the smaller British army, both of which took, held, and defended these financial assets. What we now understand as the British Empire existed from the 16th to the mid-20th century. There is still academic debate as to when the British Empire reached its peak in terms of sheer geographic size and military capability.

At any rate, empires that exist for hundreds of years are generally fluid, experiencing a natural rise and fall as some possessions are lost and new regions acquired. In 1783, Britain lost the American colonies after the American War of Independence. This was a major reverse. But there were great opportunities elsewhere, particularly in Africa and Asia. The British Empire was probably at the height of its power between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

And it was not just the British who were seeking to expand their possessions. Other nations were also attempting to develop empires, protect empires, or expand at the expense of others, including France, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire. Later, other nations joined in the competition, such as Italy and Germany. The 19th century saw an intensification of empire building and wars, which were caused by a combination of factors: the need for raw materials to fuel industry, the desire to spread Christianity, patriotism, nationalism, greed, and the fear that other empires would get there first. There was much arrogance and racism from Europeans toward the local tribes and societies they encountered in this process of expansion.

The first significant European presence in South Africa was Dutch settlers in the early 17th century. They developed a trading colony at Cape Town on the southwest tip of the African continent. It was also a supply point for the Dutch East India Company. The colony was developed primarily by the Dutch, Germans, and French; they became known as the Boers, the Dutch word for farmer.

The British presence in South Africa came later at the start of the 19th century, but the British began to expand at the expense of the Boers. The Netherlands was unwilling to fight to keep the region and ceded the Cape Town area to Britain in 1814. Many Boers, resentful of the British intrusion and the way they were being treated, forged north and east to establish their own colonies, such as the Transvaal to the east and the Orange Free State.

Amongst these squabbles between colonists of European origin were many indigenous local African tribes. As the British and Boers pushed eastward from

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.