what is partion processes made during scramble for and partion of Africa

THE PARTITION PROCESSES IN EAST AFRICA




The partition of East Africa was the outcome of the development of European monopoly capitalism, which manifested itself on the African continent in the form of colonialism. Various factors stimulated the partition of Africa and escalated the division of East Africa. In our exploration here, our main attention will focus only on those things that accelerated the scramble for and partition of East Africa, including the following;

i) The development of commercial rivalries between Germany’s company and the British consul in Zanzibar accelerated the partition process. The British consul sought the partition of East Africa in order to monopolize trade and communication on the Tanzania mainland.

ii) The Anglican missionaries in Uganda appealed to their government to assist them during their conflicts with Kabaka Mutesa I. The Catholics requested protection from the French; hence, they desired Uganda to be in the hands of Germans and they supported Karl Peters’ treaty with Kabaka Mutesa.

iii) Early attempts made by King Leopold II to establish the Belgian Empire from the lower Congo to the coast of East Africa antagonized the British and Germans, who were already in the area.

iv) Karl Peter, who arrived in East Africa in April 1884 to sign treaties with mainland Tanzania and Uganda’s Kabaka Mutesa I, embittered the British. German authority officially confirmed Bismarck annexed these treaties and the areas visited by him without consulting the sultan of Zanzibar.

v) After the establishment of the British in Egypt, they sought to occupy Uganda and Kenya. The latter was to serve the landlocked country of Uganda and to ensure that Uganda would not fall in the hands of the rival powers, such as Germany and France, who could then control the Nile waters and turn Egypt into a desert.

vi) The Germans also scrambled for colonies in East Africa due to the need for raw materials to support German industrialization. Manufacturers put pressure on the government to acquire colonies. Moreover, Germany was also interested in protecting French Catholic missionaries, who called upon them for protection in Uganda.