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DBQ: Imperialism In AfricaAzra Azvar Period 3 2/21/10 White’s vs Blacks In the late 19th and early 20th centuries European imperialism caused its countries to divide up the rest of the world, each country claiming bits as its own. Due to its large amounts of resources, Africa was one of the main areas European nations invaded in the cause if imperialism. In Africa, there were positive and negative effects towards the Africans and the invaders. Some positive effects on Africans were that they were provided with security by their rulers and new technology was introduced to them.
Some of the negative effects were that the Africans lost their natural rights such as freedom, the beginning of slavery, and the loss of their land and natural resources to the ruthless colonizers. Some positive effects on Europeans were that they were able to make vast amount of money from Africa’s natural resources and were able to further their financial growth because they were no obliged to pay the African laborers. A negative effect for the white’s was that they lost vast amounts of money in order to obtain and keep the colony in order.
Imperialism had both gains and loss’s in both the Africans and the Europeans. European imperialism cause African to suffer many negative consequences. An effects of imperialism which was negative for the Africans was that they lost their natural rights. Africans were stripped of many rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the right to live a full life (Doc. 3). Also, Africans lost the right to work for themselves and were forced by the Europeans to labor in mines or collect rubber and other plants from the wild.
If the Africans were unable to complete the task or refuse, they were chastised; many had their hand and ears cut off and some were alienated. Another negative effect was that many Africans were transported to American to work as slaves. They traveled in an uncomfortable ship and some died on the way. They were victims of racism and were bound as slaves for the remaining of their excruciating lives. Another negative effect was that a large part of their land and natural resources were taken by Europeans.
During the Berlin Conference, the nations of Europe divided up Africa as though no on lived on the continent and the land was free to take. Also, Europeans lived at the expense of the Africans, who received little or no pay for the labor they have to put up with. The Africans were tormented in so many ways and their deprived souls. Although imperialism was mostly negative fro Africans, they did receive some benefits. One positive effect was that they were provided with security by their rulers (Doc . 4). Colonization and the presence of European soldiers reduced warfare within the colony.
Another positive effect of imperialism for the Africans was that improved technology gave introduced to the civilized world. Communications improved because Europeans set up telephone and telegraph poles. Also, transportation improved because of railroads and the steam engine. Although, this technology was mostly used by Europeans, the ideas were brought to the African colonies all the same. The Africans did benefit from the imperialism a tinge. European imperialism in Africa had a large impact on the Africans, but it also affected the Europeans who colonized the continent.
One positive effect of imperialism on Europeans was that they were able to gain financially from Africa’s resources (Doc 4). Africa had a large number of resources such as diamonds and rubber which could be sold at a high price in Europe. Africa’s resources also allowed individuals to become successful in the mining, lumber, and farming industries. Also, because Europeans did not have to pay the African workers, they were able to obtain African goods for free and make a higher profit.
Another positive effect was that Europeans could use African land to grow cash crops like tobacco and cotton and use their own to grow food. For these reasons, imperialism in Africa benefited Europeans. Although Europeans mostly gained from imperialism, there were some disadvantages for them because of it as well. The primary example of this is that mother countries often lost money supporting their colonies (Doc 7). In some cases, the colony earned very little for its colonizer in trade.
Also, the amount which the mother country spent to protect and support the colony was often greater than the amount they earned from it. Imperialism in Africa had positive and negative consequences on both the Europeans and the Africans. Africans gained new technologies and security, but lost many of their rights and resources and were treated poorly. Europeans gained a profit from African goods and saved money because they did not have to pay African workers, but sometimes lost money overall due to the expenses of supporting colony. In the end, Europeans were the only ones who truly benefited from imperialism in Africa.