1. Africa Before
Imperialism

2. AFRICA IS NOT A
COUNTRY!!!
O Africa is a
continent. It has
many different
countries in it, that
speak different
languages, and
have different
religions and
ethnicities.

3. Early European Interactions
O Europeans began regularly trading
with Africans back in the 1400s.
O Africans controlled the trade
because they had stronger
militaries than Europe.
O Europeans were also hesitant to
explore too far into Africa because
of malaria.

4. Slave Trade
Over time
Europeans began
trading slaves with
the Africans. This
led to Triangle
Trade or trade
between three
continents of
slaves, raw
materials, and
finished products.

5. Europeans Gain Power
O Europeans
discovered quinine
which prevented
malaria and
developed the Maxim
Gun which was
stronger than African
weapons.
O The steam engine
was a new invention
that helped
Europeans navigate
the rivers of Africa.

6. Fight Over Africa
O Now that Europeans
had the technology
they had more power.
O Belgium had one of
the first colonies in
Africa.
O European countries
saw how much money
Belgium was making
off their colony and
wanted colonies too.

7. Berlin Conference
O 14 European nations
met at the Berlin
Conference (1884 –
1885) to decide how
to divide up Africa.
O No one from Africa
was invited to the
conference, so the
Europeans divided up
the country how they
wanted.

8. Before and After

9. Big Ideas 1
O Racism – the belief that one group of
people is better than another – Europeans
believed they were better than the
Africans.
O Social Darwinism – the belief that
naturally there is one stronger group and
one weaker group – Europeans believed
they were the stronger group and Africans
were the weaker group.

10. Big Ideas 2
O Industrialization – Europeans needed
more raw materials to run machines.
O Nationalism – Europeans wanted to
show how strong their nations were by
dominating the African nations.
O Missionaries – many missionaries went
to Africa to convert the people to
Christianity and spread their beliefs.

11. Big Ideas 3
O Technology – with the invention of the
steam engine Europeans were able to
travel into the interior of Africa. The
invention of the Maxim Gun also gave
Europeans the upper hand.
O Quinine – malaria was a concern for
many Europeans, but quinine prevented
malaria, so this allowed them to be more
courageous.