European Invasion of Africa and the Partition

Syllabus tag: KCSE | History and Government | Form 3 | Topic 17 Scramble and Partition

Lesson objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• Define the terms scramble and partition.
• Explain the reasons for the scramble for Africa.
• Describe the methods used by Europeans to acquire colonies.
• Describe the Berlin Conference and explain the impact of partition.

Summary

The scramble was the rush by European powers to acquire African territory in the late nineteenth century; the partition was the division of Africa among them. Its causes were economic, political, social and strategic. Colonies were acquired by treaty, conquest, company rule and diplomacy, and the Berlin Conference of 1884–85 laid down the rules by which it was done.