Post on 12-Jan-2016
The Royal Niger Company (Document 1)1879: Sir George Goldie unites several British commercial companies
into one monopolistic organization, the United Africa Company
1882: Renamed National African Company; beginning of Goldie’s efforts to secure rights from native Africans to make the company a governmental power
1886: Renamed Royal Niger Company after being given a royal charter by the British government, allowed concessional power over “all the territory of the basin of the Niger,” but charter maintained that trade should remain free
RNC wanted natives to cultivate products like palm oil, or other “plantation” goods similar to rubber in the Congo
If natives did not agree to plant the “encouraged” plants, RNC would charge high import tariffs on other European goods and confiscate goods imported that went in violation of the tariff—these goods were often cloth and alcohol
RNC major policy was to end foreign competition in its trade with the natives, IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF ITS CHARTER
“Standard Treaties”—Began in 1882Natives ceded their lands “forever” to RNC and agreed to enter no
tribal wars “without the sanction of the Royal Niger Company”
RNC agreed to respect native culture and pay chiefs “a reasonable amount” for their land
Translators had to sign their own agreement, declaring that they had “faithfully explained the above Agreement…and that they [the chiefs] understood its meaning.”
Note: Treaties were often signed at threat of force from the Niger Coast Constabulary
Prempeh I (Document 2)The Ashanti people are located in
Ghana.They strongly resisted attempts by
the Europeans to subjugate them.Between 1823 and 1896, Britain
fought four wars against the Ashanti kings.
Document 2 is a response to the British by the Ashanti leader Prempeh I. It states that the Ashanti people will never accept European rule.
This document is from 1891.
Menelik II (Document 3)Menelik's reign (1889-1913) coincided
with the European Scramble for Africa
Led the most successful campaign of
African resistance to against European
colonialism
Under his reign Ethiopia made several
technological advances: creation of the
capital, Addis Ababa, in the mid
1880s; construction of modern bridges
and telegraph lines; concession for a
railroad; establishment of the bank of
Abyssinia, the first hotel, hospitals,
and schools; national currency; a mint;
a postal system and national
newspaper.
Italy had a colony in Eritrea
and wanted to conquer
Ethiopia too
Treaty of Wuchale
Expressed his disapproval of
the Treaty of Wuchale by
informing the European
powers that "Ethiopia has need
of no one, she stretches her
hand unto God."
Battle of Adowa
Ndansi Kumalo (Document 4)RebellionThe African people were made the
white peoples’ slaves:• They were to work on the land for
crops• They were ordered to carry the white
man’s clothes and bundles• The Whites hit the African wives
and daughters
Rebellion began:The Ndebele people would not stand the British people coming into their land and treating them unfairly anymore. They saw many of their family members die. Even though the British kept defeating them, they kept trying to get them out of their country.
The Ndebele people
Battle of Adowa (Document 5)
In 1889, Ethiopia and Italy negotiated
the Treaty of Wuchale
Treaty stated that if Ethiopia gave
Italy some territories, in return Italy
would provide financial assistance
and military supplies
This document was written in
Amharic and Italian and it was
viewed differently by both sides
The Amharic text stated that Italy's
services were available to the emperor
for all communications with foreign
powers, while the Italian text made
this compulsory.
Italy, with the help of the French and British, took over Adowa, Ethiopia in January of 1890
Menelik imported arms from France and Russia (irony!) and mobilized his army
The confrontation occurred at Adowa on March 1, 1896, where Ethiopia defeated the Italian invaders.
17,700 Italians against more than 100,000 Ethiopians
First African victory against Europeans since Hannibal
Menelik maintained his independence and unified his country by defeating the Europeans.
Yaa Asantewa (Document 6)This document, like document 2,
is from the Ashanti people. Speech by Yaa Asantewa, Ashanti
queen, to chiefs. The queen is telling the chiefs that
if the men won’t fight the white men, she and the other Ashanti women will bravely fight for the land.
“I must say this; if you the men of Ashanti will not go forward, then we will.”
Samuel Maherero (Document 7) Samuel Maherero
i. The leader of the Herero people
ii. Settled in north Windhoek to Waterberg and the Ugab River, area of Okahandja, now Namibia
Theodor Leutwein
i. German colonial administrator
ii. Held good relations with Maherero Lothar von Trotha
i. Replaced Leutwein
Fairly good relations with Leutwein declined due to attacks by Germans, economic difficulties, and the use of Herero land for railroads.
Initial attack: January 12, 1904 Leutwein was replaced by Trotha after 1904 attack
i. Trotha brings in 15,000 troops Battle of Waterberg: August 11, 1904
i. The Herero escaped eastward into the Omoheke desert ii. October 2, 1904 Trotha ordered any Herero be killed if found
on German bordersiii. Maherero and about 1,000 of his men managed to cross the
Kalahari into Bechuanaland, where British offered them asylum
Maji Maji Rebellion (Document 8)General InformationSeveral indigenous African communities’ resistance to German
colonial rule in German West Africa.From 1905 to 1907Fighting against policy of forced cotton growingGerman East Africa is now Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and
part of MozambiqueHold was weak so used violent tactics to control population
RebellionLed by Kinjikitile Ngwale
Later called BokeroNgwale thought he was possessed by snake spirit, Hongo
Sent to destroy GermansGave people war medicine which would “turn bullets into
water”Bokero’s soldiers armed with cap guns, spears, and
arrowstraveled across land destroying cotton plants and outposts
German ResponseCount Gustav Adolf von Götzen, governor of East Africa, sent
for reinforcements Received 1000 soldiers destroyed villages, crops, and other food sources used by
the rebels.Von Gotzen was willing to forgive common soldiers
As long as they gave up their weapons, leaders, and witch doctors
Used famine to destroy remaining rebelsRebellion died on August 1907
Battle of Congo River (Document 9)• Source: Mojimba, African chief, describing a battle in 1877 on the Congo
River against British and African mercenaries, as told to a German Catholic missionary in 1907
• “And still those bangs went on; the long sticks spat fire, pieces of iron whistled around us, fell into the water with a hissing sound, and our brothers continued to fall. We ran into our village and they ran after us. We fled into the forest and flung ourselves on the ground. When we returned that evening our eyes beheld fearful things: our brothers, dead, bleeding, our village plundered and burned, and the river full of dead bodies.
“You call us wicked men, but you White men are much more wicked! You think because you have guns you can take away our land ad our possessions. You have sickness in your heads, for this is not justice.”
•In 1977, author Tim Butcher produced “Blood River” which describes his journey along the Congo, retracing the same route Henry Stanley took when he explored the Congo.
Mercenaries, as mentioned in the Document, are described as: working or acting merely for money, hired to serve in a guerilla organization
German Influence• Catholicism
– Germans had felt they had the right to impose their religious teachings in part of “White man’s burden”
• Aside from “white man’s burden” in 1907 Germany established a new ideology towards imperialism. German economists created the “colonial-political action committee” during a time when the Germany colonial power began suffering wide criticism and scandal. Economists argued that imperialism was indispensible. This new cause redefined German’s mission in civilizing Africa.