British Empire - Sub-Saharan Africa

By seamusgallagher

  • Britain abolishes Slavery

    Slave Trade Act prevents Africa from being a source of slaves for the British, as they had previously transported 3.1 million slaves through British colonies

  • Swing to the East

    Britain sought to expand their empire into Africa in the wake of the American Revolutionary War. The Cape was an important port for ship voyages to the Indies, and Africa as a continent was rich in natural resources such as gold, ivory and diamonds.

  • David Livingstone begins Zambezi River expedition

    Funded by the British government, scot Livingstone had been a member of the London Missionary Society and aimed to spread Christianity and commerce in Africa. He aimed to find natural resources and sent 2,000 letters home. He was staunchly anti-slavery, witnessing episodes of it on his travels. One of his companions was John Kirk, a Scottish physician and botanist.

  • John Hanning Speke discovers Lake Victoria

    First European to see Lake Victoria. He had accompanied and fought against Burton over the years

  • Richard Burton co-founds the Anthropological Society with Dr. Hunt

    A linguist and scholar of Muslim and broader Eastern ideas and manners, Burton published books such as the Kama Sutra (1883) and Arabian Nights (1885). He believed in scientific racism, that different human races had different genetic origins and even species.

  • Livingstone begins expedition to find the source of the Nile

    In addition to finding the source of the Nile River, Livingstone aimed to extend the gospel and abolish the slave trade.

  • Exports

    Main exports from tropical colonies were cocoa, coffee, groundnuts, sugar and palm oil. Nigeria's main export was tin, Sierra Leone and Kimberley were diamonds. Gold coast and Rhodesia principally exported gold. A theory dictates that the industrial, technological Britain used informal control to boost wealth generation by free trade, resorting to direct rule only when control of trade of British interests were threatened.

  • John Kirk becomes acting British Consul in Zanzibar

    He pressed Sultan Barghash, the Omani ruler of Zanzibar, to abolish the slave trade on the island.

  • Brussels Conference begins

    King Leopold II, who personally led the DRC, organised this conference to justify European intervention in the African continent. However, the European powers became suspicious of each other's intentions. "Open up to civilisation" Leopold sought to develop Africa's perceived backwards culture.

  • United African Company formed in West Africa

    Goldie's palm oil exports from Niger merged with other British trading firms along the river, replacing slaves as the primary export. The monopoly was added to by the acquisition of French trading companies, and a 1884 Parliamentary charter, prompting its rename to the Royal Niger Company. King Koko of the Nembe resisted, forced into exile. Jaja of Opobo was also banned by the company

  • Somali protectorate established

    Many favourable treaties granted the British access to this strategically important territory on the Horn of Africa.

  • Berlin Conference concludes, General Act signed

    The European powers met at Chancellor Bismarck's request in Berlin to carve up Africa into arbitscription (optional)
    Write
    Preview
    To arary countries. They disregarded local indigenous linguistic and ethnic lines, establishing the principle of 'effective occupation'.
    At the start of the conference, 90% of Africa was controlled by local tribes.
    By 1902, 90% of African territory was European. It lay the foundations of WW1

  • South Africa's main export becomes gold

  • Imperial British East Africa Company founded

    Founded by William Mackinnon, this company controlled areas of Uganda and Kenya, governing taxation and granting exemptions to British civilians.

  • Zanzibar protectorate established

    Series of puppet rulers backed up by force installed.

  • Free Church of East African Scottish Mission in Kenya founded

    Founded by trader-turned-missionary William Mackinnon

  • Uganda becomes Britisn Protectorate

    This was after the 1890 agreement by Salisbury to let Germany have Tanganyika, letting Britain annex Kenya and Uganda.

  • Uganda Railway begins construction

    Dubbed the Lunatic Express for its 2,493 deaths, the railway ran for 1,060km, connecting Uganda with the Indian Ocean via Nandi land. Costing £5 million, the initiative was backed by a parliamentary bill and aided cotton exports from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. Similar railways were built in the British colonies of Lagos, Sierra Leone and Ghana. The granting of monopolies to British companies this often involved would give profit to shareholders. 1905 Captain Meinertzhagen killed the Nandi leader

  • Khalid bin Barghash leads uprising in Zanzibar

    Lasting only two days before his exile to German East Africa, Barghash rose against the British puppet Sultan in Zanzibar.

  • Governor Cardew introduces hut tax in Sierra Leone

    Additionally, local chiefs and peoples had to bare the costs of road maintenance. Cardew brutally hung 96 chiefs who resisted this measure, sparking controversy and debates about the exploitative nature of British rule in West Africa.

  • Northern and Southern Nigeria protectorates established

    British government had taken over these protectorates from Goldie's company in exchange for £895,000. The Government faced pressure amid competition from German trading companies and the poor treatment of King Koko of Nembe and King Oba of Benin. The Company transitioned into a formal British colony, under the principle of effective occupation.

  • Dervish movement in Somalia emerges

    Led by Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, "Mad Mullah", the forces fought British, Italian and Abyssinian rule across decades. He utilised guerilla warfare and fortifications to resist colonialism and Christianity.

  • Ashantiland Annexed by the British

    Incorporated into the Gold Coast following the defeat of King Pempeh's Ashanti forces in the Anglo-Ashanti War of 1900-01.

  • Nigerian protectorates amalgamated

    This was done for economic reasons - the north was spending too much money & couldn't raise taxes, whilst the south had a budget surplus.

  • National Congress of British West Africa established

    Created by the Black elite in Ghana, organising nationalists across Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

  • Kenyan made a Formal colony

    Previously a part of British East africa, the region numbered 10,000 White and 20,000 Indians amongst 1m Black Africans. Harry Thuku would soon lead Kikuyu protests against tax increases, identity cards and the fact that the Kikuyu were stripped of Kenya's most fertile land. The Kikuyu felt that British governors favoured the Masai tribe, an example of divide and rule tactics. Nandi leader Samoei was killed for his resistance in Uganda.

  • East African Association founded

    Established by Thuku, the organisation aimed to recover Kikuyu lands and included intellectuals and activists such as Jomo Kenyatta.

  • West African students' union founded in London

    Championed the collective of nationalists seeking the liberation and independence of West Africa.

  • Donald Cameron becomes Governor of Nigeria

    His tenure focussed on making Nigeria more economically profitable for Britain. He increased exports of groundnuts and palm oil whilst building up regional infrastructure to support economic activity. He did allow indigenous peoples to work in the Civil Service.

  • Philip Mitchell becomes Governor of Kenya

    Mitchell disliked the political short-sightedness of White settlers, and aimed to create an elite of Kenyans with sufficient education to become administrators themselves.

  • Kikuyu Central Association prevented from operating

    WWII saw rapid urbanisation and modernisation in the Kenyan cities of Mombasa and Nairobi. The high urban populations observed a rise in nationalism, and the colonial government suppressed the organisation.

  • National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons founded by Azikiwe

  • Nigeria introduces Richards Constitution

    Including similar terms to Ghana's Burns Constitution, regional governments were established. The various ethnicities of Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and Fulani frustrated Nigerian nationalism despite the efforts of trade union leaders like Michael Imoudu and demobilised soldiers.

  • Burns Constitution introduced in Gold Coast

    Created a Council comprised of the Governor, 6 British officials, 6 nominated members and 18 elected representatives. Allowed for elections in June.

  • Pan-African Federation founded in Manchester

    Brought together Nkrumah, Kenyatta, Nyerere (Tanganyika),
    The ideology was partly socialist and viewed Africans as having intimately connected goals that could be achieved through working together. Accra, Nairobi, Lagos and Mombasa all developed economically and urbanised during WWII, thus the increased incomes and taxation of indigenous peoples helped to mobilise anti-British sentiment.

  • Tanganyika Groundnut Scheme begins

    A large-scale agricultural project aiming to grow peanuts across Tanganyika, which could then be exported to Britain and used as cooking oil. The ambitious project employed local peoples but struggled due to technical difficulties, unfavourable weather conditions and poor soil quality. 150,000 acres of Tanganyikan land employed 100,000 ex-soldiers and costing £49 million. The failure consolidated a sentiment that the British did not care about local development and indigenous peoples.

  • Kenyatta becomes President of the Kenya African Union

    Kenyatta had spent the 1930s working and studying in Britain and Europe, before working for Governor of Kenya Philip Mitchell in 1946. His leadership pushed for Kenyan independence and self-government. Expanding the franchise helped realise African nationalism.

  • Cohen Report published

    Advocated for devolution to indigenous peoples and increased British cultural sensitivity. Cohen himself believed in indigenous rights, and confronted racist African settler organisation such as Ian Smith's Rhodesia and South Africa's National Party.

  • Sir Charles Arden-Clarke becomes Governor of the Gold Coast

    He aimed to facilitate self-rule in Ghana, ordering the release of Nkrumah in 1952. Nkrumah's nationalist movement had to reckon with the tribalism and illiteracy of Ghanaians.

  • Kwame Nkrumah founds Convention People's Party

    Nkrumah faced opposition by British officials who viewed him with contempt. Sporadic violence occurred between the CPP and the Ashanti-based National Liberation Movement. Nkrumah had received a prison sentence for organising mass protests and boycotts, but still managed to orchestrate election victories from prison.

  • Andrew Cohen becomes Governor of Uganda

    Cohen supported the idea of British decolonisation, attempting to build relationships with African nationalists. He encouraged Northern Rhodesians to share their wealth with indigenous peoples. He had previously been Head of the Colonial Office's African division from 1947. He grew the University of Makere and encouraged political activism

  • Nkrumah becomes Prime Minister of the Gold Coast

    Having studied in the US and England, Nkrumah aimed to instill democratic ideals across the Gold Coast.

  • Baring declares State of Emergency in Kenya

    Extremist faction of the KIkuyu group, the Mau Mau, had been attacking and assassinating European settlers and Kikuyu who refused to take the Mau Mau oath. Jomo Kenyatta was arrested and sent to prison for 7 years. 17,000 Mau Mau were arrested, and 1,000 Kikuyu and 70 Europeans were killed. All Black African political rights were suspended. The Emergency destroyed British moral and political authority. RAF and British Army suppressed the Mau Mau, using search and destroy tactics on Kikuyu villag

  • Autonomous Federation of Nigeria established

    Northern, Western and Eastern regions each gained legislative and executive authority. Each region had different major political parties. Nigeria remained divided on economic, religious and ideological lines. This constitutional evolution represented another step in the direction of Nigerian independence. The voting franchised had grown 3 years previously, but each of three constitutions between 1945 and 1954 had been vetoed by a province.

  • Ghana becomes independent

    First sub-Saharan African country to gain independence from colonial rule. Incorporated the territories of the Gold Coast and Togoland.

  • Hola Camp massacre

    11 Mau Mau prisoners were tortured and beaten to death by British guards, with 11 severely injured. The British colonial government covered it up by claiming that water pollution had killed the 11.

  • Nigeria achieves independence`

    Self-governing status had been granted to the South, West and East in 1957 and to the North in 1959.

  • Tanganyika achieves independence

  • Uganda achieves independence

    Son of a tribal chief, Apolo Milton Obote became Uganda's first Prime Minister. A left-winger, his regime was accused of discrimination towards Ugandan Indians, brutalties by the General Service Unit secret police, corruption and food shortages.

  • Organisation of African Unity established

    Inspired by the work of Nkrumah, who sought regional integration of the African continent.

  • Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe becomes President of Nigeria

    Having studied in America, becoming a journalist and creating the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons in 1944. He was overthrown in a military coup which murdered Prime Minister Balewa and installed Major General Ironsi. When in power, Azikiwe succeeded in uniting the different religious and ethnic groups across Nigeria.

  • Kenya achieves independence

    Exactly a year later, Kenya removed Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and became a Republic. Its first President was Jomo Kenyatta. The Mau Mau had surrendered upon independence.

  • Zanzibar incorporated into Tanganyika, country becomes Tanzania

  • Nkrumah overthrown in CIA-backed Coup

    Nkrumah was on a state visit to China and North Vietnam, and he was perceived to be too left-leaning for the US. He was permanently exiled to Guinea whilst a military group dissolved parliament and took power.