Imperialism in Africa

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  • 1400

    Slavery

    Slavery was a part of the economy of Africa before the arrival of the Europeans, although some of the Europeans greatly increased the trade in enslaved people in Africa.
  • 1497

    European Slavery

    Roughly, slavery was a part of the economy of Africa before the arrival of the Europeans, although the Europeans greatly increased the trade of enslaved people in Africa. Beginning in the 1500s, European traders began to sell Africans guns and European made goods in exchange for slaves.
  • 1500

    Colonization

    Slavery was just the start. The Europeans began to create trading posts in Africa in the 1500s and throughout 1800s, they were colonizing or taking over another country for the resources it can provide.

  • War over Land

    Britain stole a lot more land in western, central and southern Africa while France seized most of West Africa. Germany and Portugal also claimed land in Africa south of the Sahara. By 1900 Europe had grabbed nearly all of Africa. The only country to remain uncolonized was Ethiopia though Italy did invade the country in 1930.

  • African Revenge

    In the mid 1900s inspired by the events of World War II Africans began to actually rebel against colonization. In Ghana in the 1940s Kwame Nkrumah was introduced to the idea of Pan-Africanism which was a belief in the unity of all Black Africans worldwide. Ghana would gain its independence in 1957.

  • South Africa

    South Africa was named independent in 1910.

  • Kikuyu people

    The Kikuyu people of Kenya began a political organization in the 1920s to fight for their freedom from Great Britain.

  • White South Africans

    In 1948, white South Africans known as Afrikaners made apartheid law. Apartheid is a policy of legal separation based on race.

  • Sudan

    Sudan gained its independence from Great Britain in 1956.

  • South war

    After getting independence, the people in the south rebelled against northern rule leading up to two civil wars from 1956 to 1972 and from 1983 to 2005.

  • Independence

    Things were made way more difficult because the Europeans had to draw country lines without regard to where different ethnic groups were located.

  • Nigerian indépendance

    In 1960 Nigeria became independent after a fierce struggle against the British.

  • Belgium Congo Independence

    Belgium Congo became independent in 1960.

  • Rwanda

    Before Rwanda had become a Belgium colony, the Tutsi ruled the Hutu. During the colonization, the Belgium government preferred to the Tutsi and used them to control the Hutu people. Independence came to Rwanda in 1962 after which violence broke out and the Hutu took control.

  • Kenya People

    It took years but Kenya became independent in 1963.

  • Nelson Mandela

    In 1964, Mandela was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for his actions. Mandela would not be silenced and continued to protest from prison.

  • Joseph Mobutu

    As a result, in 1965 Joseph Mobutu seized power. He renamed the country Zaire and ruled uninterrupted for 32 years.

  • Nigerian suffering

    Nigeria suffered from violence among its many ethnic groups. In 1976 the Igbo people tried to declare themselves independent.

  • F.W. de Klerk

    F.W. de Klerk was elected president of South Africa in 1989.

  • Mandela and de Klerk

    In 1993, Mandela and de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in ending apartheid.

  • South Africa's new president

    In 1994, South Africa held its first open elections in which Nelson Mandela was elected the new president.

  • Rwandan Violence

    The country continued to experience violence until 1994 when Hutu began to engage in genocide against the Tutsi people.

  • Arab Spring

    In 2010, people in Tunisia began to agitate for a more democratic government.

  • South Sudan

    In 2011, Sudan recognized South Sudan’s independence.

  • Ben Ali Resignation

    In 2011, President Ben Ali resigned and a democratic government was elected.

  • Muammar Qaddafi

    Qaddafi was captured and killed in 2011

  • Hosni Mubarak

    He was forced to resign in 2011.

  • Mohammed Morsi

    Mubarak was replaced by an Islamic fundamentalist government led by Mohammed Morsi in 2012.

  • Morsi's Term

    Morsi’s term was short because in 2013, his government was overthrown by the military.