Partition of Africa — vulnerability and the Scramble
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Flip to reveal answersWhat was the Berlin Conference and when did it take place?
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All 12 Flashcards — Partition of Africa — vulnerability and the Scramble
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Question
What was the Berlin Conference and when did it take place?
Answer
A meeting of 14 European powers, hosted by Bismarck, November 1884 to February 1885, that set rules for European claims in Africa — no African representatives were invited.
Question
Why did Bismarck call the Berlin Conference?
Answer
Not for German colonial ambition — he wanted to prevent European rivals (especially France and Britain) fighting each other over Africa, and to raise Germany's diplomatic status.
Question
What was the 'effective occupation' rule?
Answer
A power could only claim African territory it genuinely controlled and administered on the ground, not land it had merely discovered or claimed on paper.
Question
Give an example of African military strength defeating a European power.
Answer
Battle of Adwa, 1896: Ethiopia under Emperor Menelik II defeated an invading Italian army, keeping Ethiopia independent.
Question
How did the Royal Niger Company use treaties in Nigeria?
Answer
George Goldie's company collected hundreds of treaties from local rulers (often via unclear terms), which Britain then used as legal proof of its claim to Nigeria at Berlin.
Question
What triggered the start of the Scramble in 1882?
Answer
Britain's occupation of Egypt to protect the Suez Canal route to India, which alarmed France and other powers and accelerated the race for African territory.
Question
What was the Fashoda Incident (1898)?
Answer
A tense standoff between French and British forces in Sudan; France backed down, letting Britain secure control of the Nile valley.
Question
What was the Agadir Crisis (1911)?
Answer
Germany sent a gunboat to Agadir, Morocco, to challenge French control there, sparking a serious diplomatic crisis with France and Britain.
Question
Compare 'collaboration' and 'disunity' as forms of African vulnerability.
Answer
Collaboration = rulers signing treaties with Europeans (sometimes strategically); disunity = rival African states/factions fighting each other, letting Europeans exploit divisions rather than face unified resistance.
Question
Which African territory did Belgium's King Leopold II personally control?
Answer
The Congo Free State — recognised at the Berlin Conference as his personal possession, not a Belgian state colony.
Question
What technology gap helped European conquest after 1880?
Answer
The Maxim gun (rapid-fire machine gun), repeating rifles, steamships for river transport, and quinine to treat malaria all gave Europeans major advantages many African forces could not match.
Question
What structure should a 'To what extent do you agree' Paper-3 essay conclusion have?
Answer
A clear, consistently supported judgement that weighs which factor mattered MORE, using specific evidence — not just a list stating both sides were equally important.
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Topic 10.5 hub
European imperialism and the partition of Africa (c.1840–1920)
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