Get premium membership and access revision papers with marking schemes, video lessons and live classes.

Processing. Please wait.

Strategic reasons for scramble and partition of Africa

Answer Text:
Strategic reasons for scramble and partition of Africa
1. Construction of the Suez Canal. (The Egyptian question).
-The construction of the Suez Canal, opened in 1869, promoted a link between Europe and Asia/ shortened the routes to Far East. It also promoted international trade. It also made Egypt gain
some strategic importance to Europeans.
2. French activities in West Africa and the Congo
The activities of France in Congo and West Africa, after loss of Egypt, through their Italian agent Savorgnan de Brazza in connection to acquisition of colonies alarmed other powers.Germans rose to
oppose intrusion of Congo by France.
3. The personal activities of King Leopold II of Belgium.
-He endeavored to create a personal empire. In 1876, Leopold convened the Brussels Geographical Conference where he formed a business company, the International African Association comprising explorers and traders with a mission to civilize Africa, abolish slave trade and establish free trade.