Economic factors provided greatest impulse to Africa's colonization. Discuss

      

Economic factors provided greatest impulse to Africa's colonization. Discuss

  

Answers


edwin
Economic factors provided greatest impulse for Africa’s colonization. The reasons are as discussed below.
European countries had industrialized and they needed raw materials in order to produce finished and refined products. Britain for example after being kicked out of America in 1776, lost cheap sources of raw materials. She turned to Africa to search for more land to put into agriculture so as to get more cash crops. This in turn fueled her ambition to gain colonies.
Scarcity of market in Europe motivated European countries to gain colonies. During the industrial revolution more European countries build factories and produced a lot of products. Germany, France, Belgium and others followed Britain’s hunger to industrialize hence there was surplus products in the market. Countries like Britain who were monopoly in the market lost and so they had to look somewhere else for market. They turned to Africa.
There was speculation going around Europe that deep inside Africa there were minerals. This was fueled further by the discovery of diamond in South Africa at Kimberly in 1860. It raised hopes that more minerals will be found in Africa and every European power wanted a share of this wealth. In 1886 Gold was discovered in Wit Waters Rand which proved that Africa is rich in minerals sparking the scramble and partition and later colonization of Africa.
Wealthy European countries were looking for a place to invest so that they can get profit. Investors opted to invest in Africa were they would get more profit than in Europe. This led to colonisation
Edwinnyongesa8 answered the question on April 21, 2018 at 11:23


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