The European colonization of Africa began in the late 19th century. Contact between Europeans and Africans had been established centuries before the 19th century with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, but Europeans had not imposed official rule over Africa until this time. There have been many reasons put forth in an attempt to explain the beginnings of European imperialism of Africa. Reasons such as, economic possibilities and development, political power, cultural beliefs, and religious education have been used to explain this European conquest but the fact remains that European imperialism was intentional and motivated by national-preservation.

Many scholars agree that one of the main reasons behind the European conquest of Africa was economic. Africa was a continent of vast wealth and contained many raw materials such as cotton, rubber, ivory, and minerals which were not found in Europe. The industrial revolution in Europe caused the need for metals and raw materials like copper and tin for manufacturing which Europeans found in vast abundance throughout Africa. In addition, Africa became a new market for Europeans to sell their manufactured goods. This leads to the second reason behind European imperialism that has been presented; the desire for political power. During this time, it was the country who owned the most land and the best trade routes which possessed the most power. Africa was a prime location for European countries seeking more power due to its abundance of undeveloped land and the Suez Canal, which became an important trade route and important addition to any European nation’s supremacy who controlled it. In addition, the European belief in their own cultural and racial superiority made Europeans feel like it was their duty to develop the uncivilized African cultures. This also caused a missionary movement by Catholics to bring Christianity to the African countries. The belief was that the people of Africa were uncultured and of a lower intelligence than Europeans and therefore should be ruled by the more intelligent Europeans. This was in a sense Social Darwinism, where only the strong survive and dominate the weak.

No matter what the justification, each reason is based on national preservation and European domination. Europeans colonized Africa within twenty five years, 1885 to 1910, even though they had been financially involved with Africa for centuries. This evidence and the evidence provided above, shows that European imperialism was a more planned out conquest rather than a spontaneous series of events. Once Europeans saw the opportunity for economic growth, they went full force into economic, political, and cultural domination of Africa in order to ensure their places at the top.