The scramble for Africa is often marked by the convening of the Berlin Conference in 1884. This event was crucial as it set the stage for the rapid colonization of the African continent by European powers.
The Berlin Conference, initiated by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck of Germany, aimed to regulate European colonization and trade in Africa. During this meeting, the major European nations negotiated and formalized their claims over African territories. This division often disregarded existing ethnic boundaries and local governance structures, paving the way for conflicts that would last long after the colonial period ended.
As a result of the conference, countries like Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, and Belgium expanded their control over vast regions of Africa, leading to profound changes in the continent’s political, economic, and social systems. The Berlin Conference effectively marked the beginning of the frantic competition among European nations to claim and exploit Africa’s resources, igniting what we now refer to as the scramble for Africa.