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Year 10 - History

The scramble for Africa

Britain: Migration, empires and the people - c790 to the present day

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn about a theme in British history over a period of roughly 1000 years. They examine this theme, analysing the impact it had in Medieval, Early Modern, Industrial and Modern Britain, with a particular focus on change and continuity.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to recall Britain's role in the scramble for Africa.

Key Notes

  • Economic interests and imperial expansion drove European interest in African colonies in the 19th century.
  • In 1875 Britain bought shares in the Suez Canal and effectively controlled Egypt until the 1950s.
  • The 1884-5 Berlin Conference partitioned Africa and led to British dominance.
  • European colonisation had far-reaching and enduring consequences that have shaped Africa's history.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • partition: to divide into parts
  • arbitrary: something that is decided or done without any clear reason, logic, or fairness
  • effective occupation: the principle that European countries could control parts of Africa if they could establish that they already exerted influence there

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Britain and competing European powers met at the Berlin Conference before the scramble for Africa had begun.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

Economic interests and imperial expansion drove European interest in African colonies in the 19th century. In 1875 Britain bought shares in the Suez Canal and effectively controlled Egypt until the 1950s.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'partition'

to divide into parts.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: Britain and competing European powers met at the Berlin Conference before the scramble for Africa had begun. Correction: Britain and competing European powers had already been 'scrambling' for Africa for the majority of the 19th century. The Berlin Conference was an attempt to put an end to the fighting between European powers over Africa's land and resources.

More Lessons In This Unit

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