World History DBQTiffany, Lissette, Bariyah, Berenitze, Estela, Samantha,

Vicente

The Royal Niger Company (Document 1)1879: Sir George Goldie unites several British commercial companies

into one monopolistic organization, the United Africa Company

1882: Renamed National African Company; beginning of Goldie’s efforts to secure rights from native Africans to make the company a governmental power

1886: Renamed Royal Niger Company after being given a royal charter by the British government, allowed concessional power over “all the territory of the basin of the Niger,” but charter maintained that trade should remain free

RNC wanted natives to cultivate products like palm oil, or other “plantation” goods similar to rubber in the Congo

If natives did not agree to plant the “encouraged” plants, RNC would charge high import tariffs on other European goods and confiscate goods imported that went in violation of the tariff—these goods were often cloth and alcohol

RNC major policy was to end foreign competition in its trade with the natives, IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF ITS CHARTER

“Standard Treaties”—Began in 1882Natives ceded their lands “forever” to RNC and agreed to enter no

tribal wars “without the sanction of the Royal Niger Company”

RNC agreed to respect native culture and pay chiefs “a reasonable amount” for their land

Translators had to sign their own agreement, declaring that they had “faithfully explained the above Agreement…and that they [the chiefs] understood its meaning.”

Note: Treaties were often signed at threat of force from the Niger Coast Constabulary

Prempeh I (Document 2)The Ashanti people are located in

Ghana.They strongly resisted attempts by

the Europeans to subjugate them.Between 1823 and 1896, Britain

fought four wars against the Ashanti kings.

Document 2 is a response to the British by the Ashanti leader Prempeh I. It states that the Ashanti people will never accept European rule.

This document is from 1891.

Menelik II (Document 3)Menelik's reign (1889-1913) coincided

with the European Scramble for Africa

Led the most successful campaign of

African resistance to against European

colonialism

Under his reign Ethiopia made several

technological advances: creation of the

capital, Addis Ababa, in the mid

1880s; construction of modern bridges

and telegraph lines; concession for a

railroad; establishment of the bank of

Abyssinia, the first hotel, hospitals,

and schools; national currency; a mint;

a postal system and national

newspaper.

Italy had a colony in Eritrea

and wanted to conquer

Ethiopia too

Treaty of Wuchale

Expressed his disapproval of

the Treaty of Wuchale by

informing the European

powers that "Ethiopia has need

of no one, she stretches her

hand unto God."

Battle of Adowa

Ndansi Kumalo (Document 4)RebellionThe African people were made the

white peoples’ slaves:• They were to work on the land for

crops• They were ordered to carry the white

man’s clothes and bundles• The Whites hit the African wives

and daughters

Rebellion began:The Ndebele people would not stand the British people coming into their land and treating them unfairly anymore. They saw many of their family members die. Even though the British kept defeating them, they kept trying to get them out of their country.

The Ndebele people

Battle of Adowa (Document 5)

In 1889, Ethiopia and Italy negotiated

the Treaty of Wuchale

Treaty stated that if Ethiopia gave

Italy some territories, in return Italy

would provide financial assistance

and military supplies

This document was written in

Amharic and Italian and it was

viewed differently by both sides

The Amharic text stated that Italy's

services were available to the emperor

for all communications with foreign

powers, while the Italian text made

this compulsory.

Italy, with the help of the French and British, took over Adowa, Ethiopia in January of 1890

Menelik imported arms from France and Russia (irony!) and mobilized his army

The confrontation occurred at Adowa on March 1, 1896, where Ethiopia defeated the Italian invaders.

17,700 Italians against more than 100,000 Ethiopians

First African victory against Europeans since Hannibal

Menelik maintained his independence and unified his country by defeating the Europeans.

Yaa Asantewa (Document 6)This document, like document 2,

is from the Ashanti people. Speech by Yaa Asantewa, Ashanti

queen, to chiefs. The queen is telling the chiefs that

if the men won’t fight the white men, she and the other Ashanti women will bravely fight for the land.

“I must say this; if you the men of Ashanti will not go forward, then we will.”

Samuel Maherero (Document 7) Samuel Maherero

i. The leader of the Herero people

ii. Settled in north Windhoek to Waterberg and the Ugab River, area of Okahandja, now Namibia

Theodor Leutwein

i. German colonial administrator

ii. Held good relations with Maherero Lothar von Trotha

i. Replaced Leutwein

Fairly good relations with Leutwein declined due to attacks by Germans, economic difficulties, and the use of Herero land for railroads.

Initial attack: January 12, 1904 Leutwein was replaced by Trotha after 1904 attack

i. Trotha brings in 15,000 troops Battle of Waterberg: August 11, 1904

i. The Herero escaped eastward into the Omoheke desert ii. October 2, 1904 Trotha ordered any Herero be killed if found

on German bordersiii. Maherero and about 1,000 of his men managed to cross the

Kalahari into Bechuanaland, where British offered them asylum

Maji Maji Rebellion (Document 8)General InformationSeveral indigenous African communities’ resistance to German

colonial rule in German West Africa.From 1905 to 1907Fighting against policy of forced cotton growingGerman East Africa is now Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and

part of MozambiqueHold was weak so used violent tactics to control population

RebellionLed by Kinjikitile Ngwale

Later called BokeroNgwale thought he was possessed by snake spirit, Hongo

Sent to destroy GermansGave people war medicine which would “turn bullets into

water”Bokero’s soldiers armed with cap guns, spears, and

arrowstraveled across land destroying cotton plants and outposts

German ResponseCount Gustav Adolf von Götzen, governor of East Africa, sent

for reinforcements Received 1000 soldiers destroyed villages, crops, and other food sources used by

the rebels.Von Gotzen was willing to forgive common soldiers

As long as they gave up their weapons, leaders, and witch doctors

Used famine to destroy remaining rebelsRebellion died on August 1907

Battle of Congo River (Document 9)• Source: Mojimba, African chief, describing a battle in 1877 on the Congo

River against British and African mercenaries, as told to a German Catholic missionary in 1907

• “And still those bangs went on; the long sticks spat fire, pieces of iron whistled around us, fell into the water with a hissing sound, and our brothers continued to fall. We ran into our village and they ran after us. We fled into the forest and flung ourselves on the ground. When we returned that evening our eyes beheld fearful things: our brothers, dead, bleeding, our village plundered and burned, and the river full of dead bodies.

“You call us wicked men, but you White men are much more wicked! You think because you have guns you can take away our land ad our possessions. You have sickness in your heads, for this is not justice.”

•In 1977, author Tim Butcher produced “Blood River” which describes his journey along the Congo, retracing the same route Henry Stanley took when he explored the Congo.

Mercenaries, as mentioned in the Document, are described as: working or acting merely for money, hired to serve in a guerilla organization

German Influence• Catholicism

– Germans had felt they had the right to impose their religious teachings in part of “White man’s burden”

• Aside from “white man’s burden” in 1907 Germany established a new ideology towards imperialism. German economists created the “colonial-political action committee” during a time when the Germany colonial power began suffering wide criticism and scandal. Economists argued that imperialism was indispensible. This new cause redefined German’s mission in civilizing Africa.