Scramble for Africa

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The Scramble for Africa (or the Race for Africa) was the period of time from the 1880s until the start of World War I. During this time, colonial expansion in Africa was at its greatest. Many European countries as well as Japan and the United States created colonies in Africa during this time period. This is an example of New Imperialism.

The last fifty years of the 19th century saw a change in the way countries controlled their colonies. They changed from control by military and economic rule to direct control of the colonies during the 1870s. This was shown by the scramble for territory in areas that were once controlled by Western society.

Important people who helped define this expansion included the famous explorer, David Livingstone, and his partner Henry Morton Stanley as well as French politician Jules Ferry.

The Berlin Conference (1884 - 1885) settled the fight between the United Kingdom, France's Third Republic and the German Empire. It defined "effective occupation" as the rule for international recognition of colonial claims. Laws were made for using direct rule on a colony. These laws were made possible because of armed force.

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