Berlin West Africa Conference

• The scramble for Africa threatened to throw Europe into chaos and war, necessitating a solution to manage competition for African territories.
• Otto Von Bismarck, the German Chancellor, called the Berlin West Africa Conference in 1884.
• Attendees included officials from Germany, Austria-Hungary, the International Congo Society, Spain, Denmark, America, France, Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Sweden-Norway, and Turkey.

Reasons for the Berlin West Africa Conference

• The conference aimed to settle disputes among European powers over African territories to prevent wars.
• Conflicts like the Anglo-Boer conflict, Anglo-Portuguese disputes, and Anglo-French disputes were escalating tensions.
• European powers sought to divide Africa to establish zones of influence, ensuring control and minimizing conflicts.
• Establishing effective occupation aimed to give European powers direct control over African territories.
• Maximizing the exploitation of African resources was a key objective by ending conflicts among European powers.
• Ensuring free trade was another goal, as trade monopolies and tariffs increased tensions, leading to conflicts.
• The conference aimed to provide order in the acquisition of territories.
• Conflicts over the Congo, particularly between the Portuguese, British, French, and Belgians, needed resolution.
• The Portuguese, the first to enter the Congo, lacked effective control, leading to increased economic interests from other European powers.
• Ending the slave trade, which had been abolished in 1806 but continued until the 1880s, was crucial for legitimizing occupation and exploitation.

Participation in the Berlin West Africa Conference

• The conference addressed African issues, but no African countries or individuals were invited.
• Thirteen European powers, including Germany, Britain, France, Spain, and the United States, attended the conference.

Terms/Agreements of the Berlin West Africa Conference

• Africa was divided into 20 territorial units called spheres of influence, meant to reduce competition among European powers.
• The doctrine of effective occupation required European powers to substantiate their claims by signing treaties with African rulers and demonstrating effective governance.
• Leopold II gained control over the Congo basin.
• The Congo was divided among states, with Portugal gaining the north and France occupying territory along the northern bank.
• Germany was permitted to continue its occupation of Tanganyika.
• Major African rivers such as the Congo, Niger, Nile, and Zambezi were to have free navigation.
• Slave trade was to be abolished.
• The Congo Free State was to be governed by an International Association, with free trade in the Niger and Congo basins.

Effects of the Berlin West Africa Conference

• The conference intensified the colonization of Africa, with European powers eager to gain territories.
• Colonization was formalized through agreements like the Berlin Act.
• The doctrine of spheres of influence led to treaties such as the Grobler treaty (1887) and the Rudd Concession (October 1888).
• The doctrine of effective occupation led to colonial governments being established and the implementation of policies like forced labor and taxation.
• The conference resulted in maximum exploitation of African resources for European benefit, solidifying their claims to the territories.