Colonization in Africa

The British, French, and Portuguese were the major colonial powers in Africa and their dominance greatly influenced the African culture, politics, and economic development. The Europeans were mainly interested in Africa because they wanted to Christianize Africans, improve their scientific knowledge, and expand their territories.

When exploring Africa, the Europeans were captured by the natural resources, good climate, cheap labor, and the generosity of Africans. With their desire to explore more, they established the colonial rule through which they aimed at civilizing Africans, who they considered primitive and inferior. They introduced missionary education through which they tried to assimilate Africans into the European culture. 

The British introduced indirect rule which reinforced separation among ethnic groups in Africa. The French and the Portuguese introduced direct rule which destroyed the existing local power structures. This enabled the Europeans to take over Africa and exploit the land and the African people. Slavery emerged in order to meet the increasing labor requirements in farms, factories, and markets.

The exploitation of natural resources by the Europeans denied Africa a chance to develop industries and markets. Today, Africa still experience economic hardships and political struggles. In order to understand the current situation in Africa, it is important to analyze the effects that colonization had on Africa.