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In the 1400s Europeans began to sail south around the continent of Africa to reach the silks and spices found in India and China, but as they sailed they realized the wealth of Africa and began to trade with the Africans. Unfortunately, slavery was a part of Africa economy before the arrival of the Europeans, but the Europeans greatly increased the trade of enslaved people in Africa.
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Starting in the 1500s, European traders began to sell Africans guns and European goods in exchange for slaves. The slaves were then transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas to work on sugar, rice and cotton plantations. As many as 13 million people may have been forced to leave Africa. The increase in the number of guns available to people living in Africa, caused greater fighting among different groups which weakened everyone and made it easier for Europeans to take over.
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Soon the Europeans were colonizing Africa, Europeans knew that Africa had many resources and important trade routes they
wanted to control. By then Britain began by seizing Egypt to gain control of the Suez Canal. France then took control over most of western North Africa. Spain and Italy also gained territory in Morocco and Somalia. -
By 1900 Europe had taken over nearly all of Africa, the only country that remain was Ethiopia.
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In 1910 South Africa was granted independence from Great Britain.
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The Kikuyu people of Kenya began a political organization in the 1920s to fight for freedom from Great Britain.
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Italy invaded Ethiopia and took over.
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In Ghana (1940s) Kwame Nkrumah introduced the idea of Pan-Africanism which was a belief in the unity of all Black Africans worldwide.
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In 1948 white South Africans (who were known as Afrikaners) made apartheid law, this law made it to where black South Africans had to live and work where the whites demanded.
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In the mid 1900s Africans were inspired by the events of World War II, Africans began to seriously rebel against colonization.
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In 1956 Sudan gained independence from Great Britain, but their independence then lead to the southern part of Sudan to rebel against the northern rule. Which then lead to multiple civil wars.
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When southern Sudan rebelled against northern Sudan war broke out among them
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Ghana gained independence.
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Belgium Congo became independent, but the country was unable to create a stable, fair government.
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Nigeria became independent after a fierce struggle against the British.
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When Rwanda gained independence from the Belgium government conflict broke out in between the two ethic groups Tutsi and Hutu. The violence continued.
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Kenya became independent and Jomo Kenyatta became Kenyas first leader.
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In 1964 Nelson Mandela was sentenced to prison for life, but he continued his protest from the prison
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Joseph Mobutu seized power. He renamed the country Zaire and ruled uninterrupted for 32 years. The suffering of the people of Congo continued due his corruption and violence.
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Nigeria suffered from violence among its many ethnic groups. In soon the Igbo people tried to declare themselves independent. They named their new country Biafra. The actions of the Igbo launched a civil war in which over one million people died before the Igbo agreed to remain part of Nigeria
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When the first civil war ended the northern Sudan and southern Sudan started fighting again. Millions of people died.
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In 1989 de Klerk was elected president of South Africa.
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De Klerk realized that apartheid couldn’t continue, he ended the apartheid and released Nelson Mandela from prison.
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In 1993 Nelson Mandela and de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their working in ending apartheid.
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South Africa held its first open election in which Nelson Mandela was elected as the new president.
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The country of Rwanda experienced violence until
1994 when Hutu began to engage in genocide against the Tutsi people. Between 800,000 to 1 million Tutsi people were murdered. -
Joseph Mobutu struggles to stay in power
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In 2010, people in Tunisia began to agitate for a more democratic government. This movement became known as the Arab Spring. In Tunisia, protestors used social media to spread their message against a corrupt government, high prices and human rights abuses
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Mubarak was a dictator who had controlled Egypt for 30 years. He was forced to resign in 2011.
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In 2011 Sudan recognized South Sudans independence.
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In 2011, President Ben Ali resigned and a democratic government was elected
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Qaddafi was captured and killed in 2011, and a new government was elected. Unfortunately, not all of the rebel groups supported the new government which has led to further violence as groups fight to control oil rich areas.
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Mubarak was replaced by an Islamic fundamentalist government led by Mohammed Morsi in 2012. Morsi’s term was short.
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Morsi’s term was short because in 2013, his government was overthrown by the military. Morsi was imprisoned and his political party was banned. The new government gave more power to the police and military in the new constitution.