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| ] in particular experienced colonization from ] and ] in the early historical period. | ] in particular experienced colonization from ] and ] in the early historical period. | ||
| The city of ] was established in what is now ] by ]n |
The city of ] was established in what is now ] by ]n Empire|Byzantines]]. The ]ian civilization also fell under the sway of the ], later passing to the Romans. The whole of Roman/Byzantine North Africa eventually fell to the ]s in the ], who brought the ]ic religion and ] (see ]). | ||
| ==Early modern period== | ==Early modern period== | ||
Revision as of 01:40, 2 November 2005
The colonization of Africa has a long history, the most famous phase being the European Scramble for Africa of the nineteenth century.
Ancient Colonization
North Africa in particular experienced colonization from Europe and Asia Minor in the early historical period.
The city of Carthage was established in what is now Tunisia by Phoenician Empire|Byzantines]]. The Ancient Egyptian civilization also fell under the sway of the Greeks, later passing to the Romans. The whole of Roman/Byzantine North Africa eventually fell to the Arabs in the 7th century, who brought the Islamic religion and Arabic language (see History of Islam).
Early modern period
From the seventh century, Arab trade with sub-Saharan Africa led to a gradual colonization of East Africa, around Zanzibar and other bases. Although trans-Saharan trade led to a small number of West African cities developing Arab quarters, these were not intended as colonies and even the pillage of the Moroccan war in the Sahel finished with Moroccan forces returning home.
Early European expeditions concentrated on colonizing previously uninhabited islands such as the Cape Verdes and Sao Tome Island, or establishing coastal forts as a base for trade. These forts often developed areas of influence along coastal strips, but (with the exception of the River Senegal), the vast interior of Africa was not colonized and indeed little known to Europeans until the late nineteenth century.
The Scramble for Africa
- Main article: Scramble for Africa
Established empires, notably Britain, Portugal and France, had already expropriated vast areas of Africa and Asia, and emerging imperial powers like Italy and Germany had done likewise on a smaller scale. With the dismissal of the aging Chancellor Bismarck by Kaiser Wilhelm II, the relatively orderly colonization became a frantic scramble. The 1885 Congress of Berlin, initiated by Bismarck to establish international guidelines for the acquisition of African territory, formalized this "New Imperialism". Between the Franco-Prussian War and the Great War, Europe added almost 9 million square miles (23,000,000 km²) — one-fifth of the land area of the globe — to its overseas colonial possessions.
Decolonization
- Main article: Decolonization of Africa
The main period of decolonization in Africa began after World War II. Growing independence movements, indigeneous political parties and trade unions coupled with pressure from within the imperialist powers and from the United States ensured the decolonization of virtually the whole of the continent by 1980. While some areas, in particular South Africa, retain a large population of European descent, only the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and the islands of Reunion, the Canary Islands and Madeira remain under European control.
See also
External links
- Germany Refuses to Apologize for Herero Holocaust - from Africana.com
- Belgium exhumes its colonial demons - from guardian.co.uk