The conference of Berlin

The Berlin Conference (German: Kongokonferenz or "Congo Conference") of 1884–85 regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period, and coincided with Germany's sudden emergence as an imperial power. Called for by Portugal and organized by Bismarck, the first Chancellor of Germany, its outcome, the General Act of the Berlin Conference, is often seen as the formalization of the Scramble for Africa. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... It has been suggested that Benign colonialism be merged into this article or section. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... The term New Imperialism refers to the colonial expansion adopted by Europes powers and, later, Japan and the United States, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; approximately from the Franco-Prussian War to World War I (c. ... “Bismarck” redirects here. ... The head of government of Germany is called Chancellor (German: Kanzler or Bundeskanzler meaning federal chancellor). ... Cecil Rhodes: Cape-Cairo railway project. ...

Early history of the conference

In the 1880s, European interest in Africa increased dramatically. Henry Morton Stanley's discovery of the Congo River Basin (1874–1877) removed the last bit of terra incognita from the maps of the continent. In 1878, King Léopold II of Belgium, who had previously founded the International African Society in 1876, invited Stanley to join him. The International African Society had the goal of researching and "civilizing" the continent. In 1878, the International Congo Society was also formed, having more economic goals, but still closely related to the former society. Léopold secretly bought off the foreign investors in the Congo Society, which was turned to imperialistic goals, with the African Society serving primarily as a philanthropic front. // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... Sir Henry Morton Stanley, also known as Bula Matari (Breaker of Rocks) in the Congo, born John Rowlands (January 28, 1841 – May 10, 1904), was a 19th-century Welsh-born journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone, who upon finding he famously... adam loves kasey! brandon loves megan M.she is mad about her computer |river_name = Congo River |image_name = Brazzaville ISS007-E-6305. ... Year 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... King Léopold II His Majesty King Léopold II of the Belgians (Louis Philippe Marie Victor) (April 9, 1835–December 17, 1909), succeeded his father, Léopold I of Belgium, to the Belgian throne in 1865 and remained king until his death. ... The Association Internationale Africaine (French) was an organization created by King Leopold II of Belgium for supposedly furthering humanitarian projects in the area of Central Africa that was to become the Congo Free State and subsequently todays Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Association Internationale du Congo (acronym AIC; French, International Congo Society) was an association created 17 November 1879 by Leopold II of Belgium to replace the Comité détudes du Haut-Congo (Study committee of High-Congo), which in turn had originally been Association Internationale Africaine (AIA). ... // Cecil Rhodes: Cape-Cairo railway project. ... Philanthropy involves the donation or granting of money to various worthy charitable causes. ...

From 1879 to 1884, Stanley returned to the Congo, this time not as a reporter, but as an envoy from Léopold with the secret mission to organize a Congo state, which would become known as the Congo Free State. At the same time, the French marine officer Pierre de Brazza traveled into the western Congo basin and raised the French flag over the newly-founded Brazzaville in 1881, in modern Republic of Congo. Portugal, which also claimed the area due to old treaties with the native Kongo Empire, made a treaty with Great Britain on February 26, 1884 to block off the Congo Society's access to the Atlantic. 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Flag Capital Boma Government Monarchy Ruler and owner Leopold II of Belgium Historical era New Imperialism  - Established 1885  - Annexation by Belgium 15 November, 1908 The Congo Free State was a corporate state privately owned by King Leopold II of Belgium (not in his role as monarch) that included the entire... Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza in his version of native dress, photographed by Félix Nadar. ... Image of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, taken by NASA. Brazzaville is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo and is located on the Congo River. ... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Empire Kongo The Kongo Kingdom was an African kingdom located in southwest Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ...

At the same time, various European countries tried to get a foothold in Africa. France occupied Tunisia and today's Republic of the Congo in 1881 — which partly convinced Italy to become part of the Triple Alliance — and Guinea in 1884. In 1882, Great Britain occupied the nominally Ottoman Egypt, which in turn ruled over the Sudan and parts of Somalia. In 1870 and 1882, Italy took possession of the first parts of Eritrea, while Germany declared Togo, Cameroon, South West Africa (now Namibia) and German East Africa to be under its protection in 1884. , Italian: Triplice Alleanza) was the treaty by which Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy pledged on 20 May 1882 to support each other militarily in against any of them by two or more great powers. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... South-West Africa is the former name (1884-1990) of Namibia under German (as German South-West Africa, Deutsch Süd-West Afrika) and (from 1915) South African administration when it was conqured from the Germans during World War I. Following the war, the Treaty of Versailles declared the territory... German East Africa (German: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was Germanys colony in East Africa, including what is now Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanganyika, the mainland part of present Tanzania. ...

The conference

Léopold II was able to convince France and Germany that common trade in Africa was in the best interests of all three countries. On the initiative of Portugal, Otto von Bismarck, German Chancellor, called on representatives of Austria–Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway (union until 1905), the Ottoman Empire, and the United States to take part in the Berlin Conference to work out policy. The Berlin Conference took place in 1884. “Bismarck” redirects here. ... The head of government in Germany has traditionally been called Kanzler (Chancellor). ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... The Kingdom of Sweden-Norway is a term sometimes, but erroneously, used to refer to the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway between 1814 and 1905, when they were united under one monarch in a personal union, following the Convention of Moss, on August 14, and the Norwegian constitutional revision of... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI...

The General Act

The General Act fixed the following points:

• The Free State of the Congo was confirmed as private property of the Congo Society. Thus the territory of today's Democratic Republic of the Congo, some two million square kilometers, was made essentially the property of Léopold II (because of the terror regime established, it would finally become a Belgian colony).
• The 14 signatory powers would have free trade throughout the Congo basin as well as Lake Niassa and east of this in an area south of 5° N.
• The Niger and Congo Rivers were made free for ship traffic.
• An international prohibition of the slave trade was signed.
• The principle was set down that powers could only possess colonies if they actually possessed them (Principle of Effectivity).
• Any fresh act of taking possession of any portion of the African coast would have to be notified by the power taking possession, or assuming a protectorate, to the other signatory powers.
• Africa was divided between the main powers of Europe

It is also noteworthy that the first reference in an international act to the obligations attaching to "spheres of influence" is contained in the Berlin Act. Flag Capital Boma Government Monarchy Ruler and owner Leopold II of Belgium Historical era New Imperialism  - Established 1885  - Annexation by Belgium 15 November, 1908 The Congo Free State was a corporate state privately owned by King Leopold II of Belgium (not in his role as monarch) that included the entire... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Lake Malawi seen from the Space Shuttle. ... adam loves kasey! brandon loves megan M.she is mad about her computer |river_name = Congo River |image_name = Brazzaville ISS007-E-6305. ... Slave redirects here. ... This article is about states protected and/or dominated by a foreign power. ... A sphere of influence is a metaphorical region of political influences surrounding a country. ...

Between France and Great Britain

A line running from Say in Niger to Baroua, on the north-east coast of Lake Chad determined what part belonged to whom. France would own territory to the north of this line, and Great Britain would own territory to the south of it. The Nile Basin would be British, with the French taking the basin of the Lake Chad. Furthermore, between the 11th and 15th degrees longitude, the border would pass between Ouaddaï, which would be French, and Darfur in Sudan, to be British. In reality, a no man's land 200 kilometres wide was put in place between the 21st and 23rd meridian. Say is a town in northwest Niger, situated on the Niger River. ... Lake Chad (in French: Lac Tchad) is a large, shallow lake in Africa. ... Lake Chad (in French: Lac Tchad) is a large, shallow lake in Africa. ... Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ (lambda),[1][2] describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ... The Ouaddai Kingdom was an originally non-Muslim kingdom, located to the east of Lake Chad in present-day Chad. ... Flag of the Fur national movement Darfur (Arabic دار فور, meaning home of the Fur) is region of far western Sudan, bordering the Central African Republic, Libya, and Chad. ... 29th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Division, Canadian Corps. ... km redirects here. ...

Between France and Germany

To the north of a line formed by the intersection of the 14th meridian and Miltou was designated French, to the south being Germany's.

Between Britain and Germany

The separation came in the form of a line passing through Yola, on the Benoué, Dikoa, going up to the extremity of Lake Chad Yola may mean: Yola language, an extinct language in County Wexford, Ireland. ... Lake Chad (in French: Lac Tchad) is a large, shallow lake in Africa. ...

Between France and Italy

Italy was to own what lies north of a line from the intersection of the Tropic of Cancer and the 17th meridian to the intersection of the 15th parallel and 21st meridian. World map showing the Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer (cancer is Latin for crab), or Northern tropic is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ...

Consequences

European claims in Africa, 1914

The Scramble for Africa sped up after the Conference. Within a few years, Africa was at least nominally divided up south of the Sahara. By 1895, only the settlements in Liberia, Orange Free State and Transvaal remained independent. Abyssinia was able to fend off an Italian invasion from Eritrea, which lasted from 1889-1896, in what is known as the first Italo-Abyssinian War, remaining the only free native state; but this was an exception in the continent of Africa. By 1902, 90% of all the land that makes up Africa was under European control. The large part of the Sahara was French, while after the quelling of the Mahdi rebellion and the ending of the Fashoda crisis, the Sudan remained firmly under joint British–Egyptian rulership. Image File history File links ColonialAfrica_1914. ... Cecil Rhodes: Cape-Cairo railway project. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Ethiopia (disambiguation). ... Two conflicts between Italy and Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia) are known as the Italo-Abyssinian War: The First Italo-Abyssinian War of 1889–1896 resulted in a victory for the Ethiopians. ... Image:Mahdi3. ... The Fashoda Incident (1898) was the climax of imperial territorial disputes between the United Kingdom and France in Eastern Africa. ...

The Boer states were conquered by Great Britain in the Boer war from 1899 to 1902. Morocco was divided between the French and Spanish in 1911, and Libya was conquered by Italy in 1912. The official British annexation of Egypt in 1914 ended the colonial division of Africa. By this point, all of Africa, with the exceptions of Liberia and Ethiopia, were under European rule. Combatants United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Canada Cape Colony Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Redvers Buller Frederick Roberts Herbert Kitchener Paul Kruger Martinus Steyn Louis Botha Christiaan de Wet Casualties 22,000 6,500 Civilians killed [mainly Boers]: 24,000+ The Second Boer War, commonly referred to as... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Further reading

• Maria Petringa. Brazza, A Life for Africa, 2006. ISBN 9781-4259-11980.
• Adam Hochschild, King Leopold's Ghost, 1999. ISBN 0-395-75924-2