Summary
SCC empire samenvatting
- Course
- Institution
Een samenvatting van de reader van SCC empire, met begrippenlijst van Zuid-Afrika.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
reneedams
Content preview
SCC EMPIRE1. Early empire and explorers
1.1 The British empire developed over a period of 400 years, it was the empire where the sun never
set (meaning it was always day somewhere). The empire peaked in 1914 when one-quarter of the
world’s population belonged to the empire. During this time Britain was the world power, like US is in
the 20th century.
1.2 The Early British Empire was not built by government action. It grew from chartered companies
who has been given a Royal Charter (allows an organisation to govern its own affairs) by the King or
Queen to return for taxes paid to the British Crown:
o North-America: Hudson Bay Company, Virginia Company
o India: East India Company
o Africa: British South Africa Company
o Dutch equivalent: VOC
The empire began with Elizabethan (1558 – 1603) sea voyages (sponsored by European powers:
Columbus, Da Gama, etc) in the 16th century. Trading companies in Turkey, Russia and East Indies and
established colonies there. Trading posts were set up on the coasts (taxes had to be paid) in order to
earn money for sugar, slaves and spices. Its real foundations were laid during the 17 th century when
colonies were expanded.
The focus of the British expansion: North America. Settlements had been established and fur trade
and sugar dominated the margins. Their expansion extended to the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia
for spice trade. The British got competition from the Portuguese and Dutch and lost the American
Empire. Many loyal refugees (American) built new settlements in Canada (as a result of the American
revolution which was a result of the seven years’ war).
Napoleonic Wars (1803 – 1815): the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and
Trinidad were secured.
1.3 Africa: most colonies in Africa originated from the old posts the British had (17 th and 18th century)
to buy slaves, exchange goods, etc pit stops to get to India.
Three developments caused the colonisation of Africa:
o Scientific development: during the 19th century explorers were sent to Africa in order to bring
home data (sent by the Royal Society for example). Missionaries were sent out by British
churches (Anglican and Methodist) conversion meant good public relations to them.
o The abolition of slavery: industrial revolution proved it was cheaper to hire workers than
having to care for slaves. Slavery was abolished in 1833 in the Empire. no more slave trade
meant time for new trade
o Industrialising Europe: German products on the British market had to find new places to
sell cheap raw materials were found in Africa. The explorer was followed by the
missionary and the missionary was followed by the trader and the industrialist they were
followed by soldiers, policemen and administrators (safeguard British interests!)
Other European powers followed the British Scramble for Africa
,The scramble: between 1870 – 1900 Africa was divided up between rivalling European countries, four
reasons:
1. Money: new markets
2. Cheap raw materials
3. Science
4. Religion: spread of Christianity
1.4 Early explorers
o Mungo Park: explorations added to the knowledge about the Niger region. Was asked to
take an expedition to the Gambia and Niger rivers in 1795 the ‘association for promoting
the discovery of the interior parts of Africa’ wished to know the course of the Niger river and
whereabouts city Timbuktu. Park was imprisoned by a Moorish chief. Park went again in
1805 was drowned while descending the Niger by canoe.
o Richard Burton: was interested in peoples and cultures. Visited the Muslim holy cities
(Mecca and Medina (1853 – 1855) in disguise). Burton was sent outby the Royal
Geographical Society to find the lake Nyanza, hoping to find the source of the Nile. Burton
approached the lakes from the East instead of the North. Burton and Speke were held
prisoner Burton did not continue travelling further because of malaria never reached
his goal but lived
o John Speke: was coupled to Burton by the Royal Geographical Society. Burton and Speke
were held prisoner by local princes and suffered from various diseases Speke travelled
further to Lake Victoria Speke could not prove that the lake he found did not have
another outlet. Speke died from a self-inflicted gunshot-wound.
o David Livingstone: series of journeys in the mid-19th century. Guided the first successful
European crossing of the Kalahari Desert to Lake Ngami (1849). Wanted to open up inner
Africa to new forms of commerce and religion investigated Central Africa between 1853
and 1856 travelled up the Zambezi River . Discovered and named the Victoria Falls (1855).
First non-African to cross the continent from West to East (1856). Livingstone represents
what the Empire thought they were. reached his goal but died from illness
o Henry Stanley: a journalist was sent to ‘find’ Livingstone by the Herald found him in
1871.
White men’s burden: justifying imperial conquest.
1.5 Cape to Cairo:
Cape Colony had never been significant up to the 1820s sudden
growth from a pit stop on the way to India to the administrative
centre of the South African territories and starting point for an ambitious
drive north.
Large numbers of English settlers in 1821 and laws to protect indigenous
peoples from ill-treatment by original white settlers (Dutch Boers and French
Huguenots) law forced Boers to go north so they could continue enslaving
black people. discovery of gold and diamonds north which lured the
British adventurers Herbert Rhodes found some diamonds but not enough his son Cecil Rhodes
dragged the biggest pump in the country from Cape Town to mine diamonds.
Cecil Rhodes was obsessed with a great British empire believing parts of China and Japan, and the US
,should be under British control. He wanted a railroad from Cape to Cairo wanting the entire
territory to be British sent an army with the engineers to take it by force local tribes fought
back whites won and ruled for 80 years Rhodes never reached the north because of other
settlers (Dutch, German and Belgian)
The British liked to think Livingstone represented the British Empire Cecil Rhodes really represented
what it stood for.
Rhodesia: Zambia and Zimbabwe
1.6 The Suez canal
The railroad led to colonisation and digging a canal through the South led to more colonisation.
The French had tried to capture Egypt during the Napoleonic Wars in order to severe the link
between Britain and India failed after French left, Egypt began modernising under a new
leader, Muhammed Ali.
British asked Muhammed Ali to build a railway in Egypt Muhammed Ali did not trust them gave
the French permission to start working on the canal French tried to interest bankers in the project
but had to sell almost half the shares to Ali’s grandson control over the canal (1867) could be
exercised by the Egyptian ruler.
Egypt had crises going on Egypt’s ruler had to sell shares bought by British Prime Minister
Britain had a controlling interest in the canal and influence in Egypt first shared interest with
France but too full control in 1888.
Who controlled it, also controlled trading (money)
What is the Suez Crisis? (1956): Egyptian president transferred the Suez Canal to (Egypt’s) state
ownership as a result of Israeli army pushing into Egypt towards the canal French and British sided
with Israelis this caused US to side with Egypt US won and Egypt got ownership of the canal.
1.7 Fashoda incident
The French had many but poor colonies and launched a desperate campaign from west to east in
Africa according to the French, the lands between British controlled parts and the (Belgian) Congo
were nobody’s, therefore they had a claim to it. A French army began to push from Senegal to the
Nile in 1898, the French met the British (railway) in Fashoda hovered on the brink of war
diplomatic negotiations in Europe resolved the issue (Britain won) because they could not afford to
go to war and Germany was a permanent threat already.
1.7 End of empire
What is a dominion?: self-governing state in the British empire
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Union of South Africa had become autonomous within the
British Empire in 1931 in 1947 declared to be of equal status with the United Kingdom within the
British Empire.
Old/White commonwealth: Britain and the pre-1945 dominions.
Empire ended after WW2 Europe was in ruins and bankrupt, shift in power (US and USSR)
Britain adopted a peaceful disengagement once stable governments were available (non-
communist). independence often marred by violence.
, 2. South Africa
Presidents:
- Nelson Mandela: president from 1994 until 1999. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (President De
Klerck too) for steering South Africa towards a true democracy.
- Thabo Mbeki: president from 1999 until 2008 forced to step down 6 months before the end of
his second term The ANC’s National Executive Committee would no longer support him because of
his views on the nature of aids and his long support for Robert Mugabe, dictator of Zimbabwe.
- Jacob Zuma: president from 2009 until 2018. He is known to favour his own faction (Zulu).
- Cyril Ramaphosa: president from 2018 until the present.
The main language was Dutch until 1923 then Afrikaans
Apartheid: system of racial segregation: we live apart together
You would have a passport that said which race group you were part of (white, black, coloured)
black group area, coloured group area, etc groups were not supposed to mix.
Racism and economic inequality are still very dominant in South Africa have led to a high rate of
violence the Marikana Mining strike in 2012 (mining employees organised a strike for better pay,
event got international attention, violent incidents between the South African Police Service, the
mining company’s security, the leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers and strikers
followed, resulted in 44 deaths (mainly striking mineworkers)).
2.1 Inhabitants
Southern Africa has been inhabited by many different species of prehistoric man, men moved down
to Southern Africa, they evolved into two groups:
o Khoikhoi: tall and light-coloured. The Khoikhoi kept herds of cattle, roaming the country.
o San: small hunters and gatherers who roamed the land and never stayed in one place very
long.
Khoikhoi and San hardly ever fought and lived in peace No concept of land ownership: ‘The world
is like a mother, we share it.’
Central and West Africa: darker, negroid people, who practised agriculture and fished and hunted.
Settled lives in the eastern parts of Southern Africa referred to as Bantu (name for their group of
languages), names for tribes: Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho, etc.
2.2 Early exploration by Europeans
No interest in Southern Africa, this changed during the European Renaissance (Islamic powers shut
Europe off from Asia). Portuguese sailors moved down the coast:
o Bartolomeu Dias: led an overseas expedition in 1487-1488, looking for a sea route to India
found the Cape of Good Hope instead.
o Vasco da Gama: sailed the same route nine years later and opened the way to India. Gave
Natal its name on Christmas Day 1497.
Portuguese were not interested in Southern Africa up until England, France and The Netherlands
challenged the Portuguese for Eastern trade. They went for commerce only, not for conversion or to
settle.
A Dutch doctor discovered scurvy this meant they needed a halfway station to take on fresh
supplies Europeans started trading with the Khoikhoi in Table Bay.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller reneedams. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $10.71. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
52510 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now