The Scramble for Global Dominance

European Imperialism in Africa

British Cape-to-Cairo Ambition

The goal was to connect North and South Africa via the Cape-to-Cairo railway, aiming to dominate the eastern facade of the continent and control the Indian Ocean.

French West-to-East Expansion

France aimed to exercise dominion over a strip extending east-west, north of the Sahara (Morocco and Tunisia), and spread towards Sudan. This expansion would face the British.

The Berlin Conference

German Chancellor Bismarck convened an international conference in Berlin in 1884-1885, which was attended by 14 European countries to regulate European colonization and trade in Africa.

The Boer Wars in South Africa

The UK faced settlers from the Netherlands, called Boers (farmers), in South Africa. The Boers inhabited the republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The discovery of important mines was the driving motive that prompted the British to invade these republics.

European and Asian Imperialism

In the nineteenth century, there was also European penetration in Asia, involving large traditional colonial powers (France, Great Britain, Netherlands), as well as new ones like Russia, the USA, and Japan.

British Rule in India

British colonization concentrated in the area of India. Since 1857, the British government assumed direct control of India and established a Viceroy.

French Indochina

French expansion had its center in Indochina, which gave rise to a series of conflicts in Southeast Asia. France deployed multiple protectorates. With all these territories, the Indochinese Union was formed, joined by the kingdom of Laos.

Russian Expansion Southward

The Russian Empire continued its expansion into Siberia and to the South. This expansion reached the limits of the British Empire in India, leading to a severe struggle for control of Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet.

China, Opium Wars, and Revolution

Conflict erupted in the Opium Wars, which evidenced the weakness of Chinese rule against the West. In 1885, a veritable assault on China occurred by European countries and Japan. In 1911, a revolution ended the imperial rule and proclaimed the republic.

Occupation of Oceania

• The British possessed the two major territories, Australia and New Zealand, which were settlement colonies that formed sovereign states.
• Meanwhile, the Dutch had established an important colony in Indonesia.

Emergence of New Imperial Powers

Two states participated in imperialist expansion outside Europe: the U.S. and Japan, seeking to expand their economic and political influence.