Answer :
The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 marked the pinnacle of European competition for African territory, known colloquially as the Scramble for Africa. During the 1870s and early 1880s, European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany began to look to Africa for natural resources for their expanding industrial sectors, as well as a potential market for the goods produced by these factories. As a result, these governments sought to protect their business interests in Africa by sending explorers to the continent in order to secure pacts from indigenous peoples or their alleged legislators.
The General Act of the Berlin Conference, which resulted from it, formally established the Scramble for Africa. The envoys in Berlin established the competition rules by which the great powers were to have been directed in their quest for colonies. No nation was allowed to stake assertions in Africa without first informing other power and authority of its motives.
The Berlin Conference had an impact on Africa by dividing it without regard for native Africans' wishes or traditional tribal boundaries. The Berlin Conference is frequently cited as an underlying cause of twentieth-century African violence.
Final answer:
The Berlin Conference was a meeting in 1884 that resulted in the division of Africa among European powers for colonization. It had a significant impact on Africa, leading to colonization, boundary issues, and the loss of lives.
Explanation:
The Berlin Conference was a meeting organized by Otto Von Bismarck in 1884 to determine the division of territories in Africa. It included representatives from European countries, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, but no Africans were present. The outcome of the conference was the division of Africa into spheres of influence for colonization, with European powers deciding which parts of Africa would belong to them.
The impact of the Berlin Conference on Africa was significant. The conference led to the colonization and exploitation of Africa by European powers. African territories were divided without considering existing political and ethnic boundaries, which later resulted in civil unrest, separatist movements, and boundary disputes among African countries. The conference also disregarded the rights and interests of African people, leading to the loss of millions of lives during the subsequent conquest of the continent.
