European Imperialism Africa Dbq

Between the late 17th century and early 18th century, almost all of Africa was under European rule. This was in great contrast to 1880, when close to none of Africa was under direct rule of the continents. This stark change in power was due to the interest in raw materials, new trade opportunities, political gain over other countries, and Europeans feeling the need to spread Christianity, democracy, and capitalism. (Spielvogel and McTighe 230-233). Although European imperialism helped to "civilize" the people of Africa and develop the continent, this justification is far outweighed by the facts that Africans were treated with immense oppression and a disregard for their culture. After imperialism, African nations were better able to prosper …show more content…
Benefits to Africa as a result of imperialism were plentiful. A primary document, “Does Colonization Pay”, details the many improvements made to the continent; Africa was home to innumerable, rich resources. As a result, Europe was able to utilize these as raw materials, and return the money to Africa. The money was also used to bring the people of Africa food supply, as well as other supplies that were much needed. Besides this, these nations created “roads, canals, railways, and telegraphs”, along with “schools and newspapers” (Document 1). As displayed by the information, imperialism was seen to have profound effects on Africa. Not only did they utilize the rich resources to supply economic gain to the continent, but also significantly developed the continent by providing means of transportation, education, and a source of news. Unfortunately, these benefits were not of significant value due to the immense oppression experienced by the people of Africa during the age of imperialism.
Europeans treated Africans unethically, and with extreme inferiority. When Europeans came to Africa, they were ruling indirectly, which …show more content…
Some may argue that the concept of “white man’s burden” (the belief of Europeans that it is their duty to convert Africans, among other groups, to Christianity, and change their ways of thinking in terms of government and economics) (Spielvogel and McTighe 227) is a warranted reason for forcing beliefs on others. Clearly, this is a inapt and ludicrous response in order to justify oppression. Although imperialism had some benefits in Africa, the motivations for imperialism were cynical and the consequences disadvantageous. Therefore, it is crucial that in the future, preventative steps are taken to ensure that no other group of people are subjected in a way that would harm