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Imperialism is a difficult term to pin down. In Euro centric terminology, ‘the concept of imperialism has included the forcible establishment of political control by one state over others through such means as colonies and protectorates (formal imperialism)’ . This is most associated with the division of Africa by the European powers in the 19th century. This is also the aspect of imperialism to be covered in this paper, more specifically, the British involvement in Africa. The imperialists’ ‘war cry’ as it was, was ‘God, gold and glory’, that is to say, the pursuit of an expansionist agenda under these auspices, the former being less important than the latter two. The British, though it’s not to say other nations were not guilty of this fact, were more interested in worldly gains rather than spreading Christianity. At the centre of it all was the British desire to strengthen itself to make war on its neighbours and keep the upper hand in the European hierarchy. Their attempts at proselytization were a veiled plan to open new markets to European goods and eventual conquest. Historically, European involvement in Africa was sparse. The Phoenicians sailed to its northwest coast in the 7th century B.C. Vasco de Gama successfully circumnavigated the continent in 1497-8 under Portugal’s flag. Even as the Industrial Revolution spread across Britain, a mere silhouette of the Dark Continent graced British maps. ‘The coasts – Ivory coast, Gold Coast, Guinea Coast, Slave Coast, Grain Coast – were charted’ . The procuring of goods, slaves included, for they were, socially and legally, goods, was handled by locals and lightly staffed trading forts. Shiploads of commodities were bought at a relatively low price. What the British considered as gaudy trinkets were much-valued status symbols amongst tribal chieftains, and they were more than happy to sell their neighbours into slavery to obtain them. Even once slavery was abolished in the British Empire, palm oil, used in other manufacturing but mainly that of soap, was imported from Africa. But the burgeoning industrial might of Britain cried out for new markets for manufactured goods, textiles, iron etc. The previous indifference towards Africa changed once realized it could provide this new marketplace. Missionary expeditions exposed natives to European culture, and led to more in depth involvement on the continent.
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