why were Europeans able to conquer Africa?

Question

During the 19th century, Europe divided up Africa. Why were they able to do this from an anylatical point of view, rather than descpiptive.

Answer 1

Go read "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond for the reason that some societies rise to greater strength than others.

Answer 2

Why were European powers able to dominate Africa.

Several reasons:
1- European nations actually existed in a modern sense. That is people had a nationalist attitude - "king and country" as a result they were mopre unified and more able to exert their efforts to a common goal - acquiring more territory. The best African equivilent was the Kingdom of Egypt - which as apart of the Ottoman Empire - was the closest entity to a modern nation state on the African continent.

2- Technology played a large role - in that the people of Europe possessed fire arms which in some cases were seen with superstitious awe and fear. however in regards to the more militant areas of Africa - Zululand - the fire arms were the only thing that kept the natives at bay; the Africans had superior numbers but lacked the technology to expell the European power.

At the end of the day the African peoples were still nomadic and the European nations were able to easily divide, conquer and dominate...

Answer 3

They were able to conquer Africa by the improvement of technology at first they didn t because for one they didn t know the rivers if Africa plus the Africa had powerful armies that helped them make the Europeans out. Later during the 19th and 20th centuries Europe was able to conquer Africa because of steamboats which allowed them to get around the rivers of Africa also powerful weapons such as the Maxim Gun and lastly the improvement of medicine so they wouldn t catch a disease which back then they were afraid to.

Answer 4

Europeans were lucky in being part of the Eurasian continent, which had more wild plants and animals that could be domesticated, allowing earlier food production. Eurasia also has an east-west orientation, allowing those plants and animals to be distributed easily across it.
Africa has a north-south orientation, which prevented many of those plants and animals from moving from one end to the other- the Sahara, tse tse flies and summer instead of winter rains stopped crops and animals from spreading.
Greater European food production meant higher populations, which in turn meant more diseases. Easier travel east-west meant more ideas and inventions were brought to Europe.
The Europeans were able to invent ships and guns, which allowed them to conquer African nations.

Answer 5

I don't know what you mean by "from an analytic p.o.v., rather than descriptive," but it was because of the European's superior technology. Europeans had more sophisticated knowledge of science and possessed more resources than did the African tribes of that time.

This is the same story played over and over again in history. History is a record of different peoples and nations conquering weaker ones. At one time, the war chariot gave armies superior fighting power over soldiers on foot. At another time, it was mounted knights. Hundreds of years ago, peoples who had developed gunpowder cannons gained an advantage over castle fortifications. Etc.,etc.

It's just like today. Countries with superior means of communication, transportation, weaponry, and those countries that are rich in monetary resources have the edge over countries who are less developed.

Answer 6

Europeans had the total thing approximately technologies. With in new inflow of imperialism all of Europe replace into searching for sparkling territories. To the south lay the uncharted mass of Africa. in the previous the 1800's it replace into untouchable because of the fact of ways risky it replace into. Now whether with the invention of extra effective weapons, extra effective skill of transportation, and medicines, Africa must be conqured. France charged into Egypt and held it for some years because of the fact of it is monetary powers with the canal. England tried to encircle africa from the coasts because of the fact the midsection replace into nonetheless to risky. Idealy they might have prefer to have a railroad stretching "from cairo to capetown" (suitable to backside) yet this dream replace into by no skill found out.