WEBVTT

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In just a handful of
decades, European colonizers

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carved up almost the entire African continent.

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STEPHEN: "Europeans had been involved in
and with Africa for a very long time prior

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to the late 19th century.

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The specific moment we refer to as the Scramble
for Africa really relates to an acceleration

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and intensification of European
activity in and with Africa."

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Every present-day country except
Ethiopia and Liberia was affected.

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These territories were then
governed--and exploited--by foreigners.

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Why?

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A lot of reasons.

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Nineteenth-century exploration of Africa had
made Europeans more aware of the continent.

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African economies--and their vast
resources--caught the eye of European parties.

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And then there was the Suez Canal.

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STEPHEN: "The Suez Canal was only about
10 years old when the Scramble started."

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"And one of the British in particular were
interested in protecting the Suez Canal,

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a vital trade connection between
South Asia, East Asia, and Europe."

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But it wasn't just foreign nations
seeking to expand or protect

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their empires that motivated the Scramble.

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One group of schemers hatched a plan
to illegally build empires in Borneo.

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These tactics inspired other Europeans
to do the same in places like Africa.

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STEPHEN: "These people purported to acquire
vast amounts of control and even sort

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of the rights of sovereignty,
particularly on the island of Borneo.

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They promoted their supposed
rights in a variety of locations,

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and in some cases they tried to sell
them to European leaders and companies."

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Many of the many claims, treaties, and takeovers
during the Scramble were contested by Africans.

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STEPHEN: "There are examples
from Cameroon, for instance,

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in which we know that African leaders who are
allegedly involved in treaties transferring

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sovereignty make appeals to
European heads of state."

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"And these appeals are essentially
saying, I did not sign this.

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You will out of honor, or out of nobility,
grant my appeal to be independent."

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Other resistance by citizens
involved noncompliance,

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in both nonviolent and armed responses.

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The Scramble for Africa resulted
in huge losses of life there.

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In the Congo alone, colonization
claimed 10 million lives.

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The Scramble reshaped the continent's economy
and the way resources and wealth were divided.

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It changed the course of history--and the map.

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STEPHEN: "This event continues
to be contested to this day.

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We are still learning a great deal
about the Scramble for Africa."

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"And perhaps surprisingly, the final
words really haven't been written yet."

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