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Name Instructor Course Date African Perspectives on European Colonial Rule In 1884 the Berlin conference was apprehended to come up to terms on how to subdivide Africa among the European powers peacefully. In this meeting, various countries attended including Britain, Germany, France Italy and Belgium. After the conference, these countries embarked on a mission to acquire territories in Africa. To acquire territories in Africa, they used various methods such as the signing of treaties with the local leaders, military conquest, divide and rule policy, Use of companies, diplomacy, and enticing leaders with gifts. Various factors motivated Europeans to come to Africa. These include economic, social and political factors. Economic factors included searching raw materials for their industries in Europe, looking for a market for the European manufactured goods, availability of cheap labor and finally desire of the entrepreneurs to invest surplus capital (Rodney, 43). Some of the political factors that encouraged Europeans to acquire territories in Africa were prestige, high, military capability among the European powers, public opinion and unification of Germany under Otto Von Bismarck. Social motivations for acquiring colonies in Africa were to protect the Christian missionaries, to look for a place to settle surplus population and desire to stop slave trade and introduce legitimate business. Africans reacted differently to European colonization. Some communities resisted the colonial rule and their leader's organized war. For example, there was Maji Maji rebellion in East Africa, Mandinka resistance in West Africa and Ndebele resistance in South Africa. Among all the
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