The Scramble for Africa

The scramble for Africa put me in a position where I felt a strong contradiction inside myself.  On the one hand, I was impressed by the power of European powers.  In less than half a century, ninety percent of Africa, a huge continent, was put under European control.  European might was at its most prominent point, allowing them to do what they wanted when they wanted.  Granted, this might was mostly evident in the fact that Europeans had far superior technology that allowed them to slaughter native populations out of existence, but this aside, I still think it’s a testament to the vigor of European ideals of imperialism.  On the other hand, I am absolutely sickened by the way in which the Europeans went about tearing apart Africa.  They basically enslaved all the Africans without any moral regard for anything except their own profit.  Europeans proved to the rest of the world that their racial prejudices and ideals were founded in arrogance and brute force.  The effects of the scramble for Africa are still being played out today, and it’s truly disheartening to see the ways in which Europe has hurt all the nations in Africa.  This conflict is something that most Europeans felt at the time, seeing as they were going into foreign lands and conquering the people for the sake of humanity’s progress.  Some people fought for the rights of those being subjected to Europe’s rule, and some blindly supported Europe’s power and right to control the world.  Both sides had evidence, and both sides felt they were right, creating a division that only deepened debate over Imperialism.