Africa Before European Domination

• Europeans could not reach the center of Africa because of disease

  • Disease affected humans and horses

• Africans were much better at fighting than Europeans

• River system was hard to navigate

David Livingstone

• A Christian missionary

• Reaches the interior of the Congo

• No one hears anything from him for a decade

• Henry Stanley - an American journalist - finds David Livingstone who says that he loves the culture of Africa and decided to stay

King Leopold

• King Leopold is brought into the country to supposedly “Spread Christianity and stop the slave trade”

• Kills, enslaves, and exploits the Congo

• Belgium colonizers the Congo after removing Leopold from power

• After this, all nations want to go to Africa

Motives For European Imperialism

• Believed that they were the best nation in the world and that the natives were barbaric - Social

• Viewed Africa as a land of problems and wanted to bring their own government to the location - Political

• Africa was very wealthy and Europe wanted to get more resources and dominate new markets - Economic