# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Oil painting by E F Skinner.1914-1918. Science Museum/Science and Society Picture Library.

# data[].attributes.body
The expansion of technology and weapons allowed Europeans to take more resources from around the world, to include Africa. More specifically, things like medicine, transportation, materials, and weapons of war saw massive advancements by the British. They would use these advancements to secure and improve their holdings in Africa. One such item that helped them was the Maxim gun. “first used by British colonial troops, pelted out as many as five hundred rounds a minute, turning encounters with indigenous forces into bloodbaths and making armed resistance virtually impossible” (Pg775).
While new technology helped them directly take new holdings around the world, Industrialization also created a thirst for more product, land and wealth, indirectly driving imperialism in Africa.

# data[].attributes.body
European powers swept across Africa to claim resources and new realms. “In 1875, 2 percent of the continent was in European hands; by 1902, the figure was 90 percent” (776). With total disregard of those that lived there for centuries, the major European powers, as well as the United States, held a conference to set ground rules on a new wave of imperialism. This was known as the Berlin Conference.
Arbitrary borders were drawn not only by European governments, but also by wealthy European citizens like Cecil Rhodes. These actions would tear apart previous African kingdoms and shatter their sense of unity, only to be superficially assimilated into a new culture that would only use them to further their gains.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
University of California, San Diego. No date. Pears Soap. 

# data[].attributes.body
It is important to understand that European culture was heavily influenced through the use of propaganda to believe that it was their duty to colonize other countries. It is also important to realize that they did not see these colonized people as equals, taking it so far as to say they needed to help them and uplift them.  “The British race may safely be called a missionary race. The command to go and teach all nations is one that the British people have, whether rightly or wrongly, regarded as specially laid upon themselves.” (780). “The white man’s burden” was the burden of having to reform, clean, improve, etc. the people of their new colonies because they were allegedly not as good as “the white man.”

# data[].attributes.headline
•	Anti colonialism in Africa. 1950’s-1990’s

# data[].attributes.subject
•	Anti colonialism in Africa. 1950’s-1990’s

# data[].attributes.body
Unfortunately, decolonization was a bloody and arduous task. Revolution after revolution took place to regain independence from European powers. They had been oppressed and taken advantage of for far too long, especially with the introduction of apartheid. This was where anyone who wasn’t 100% white lost all political rights and was forced to segregate.
Another reason the revolts were so bloody was because some settlements had developed large populations of Europeans who did not want to leave.

Even with resistance and eventually independence, colonialism left a deep wound. “As Belgian authorities raced out of the Congo in 1960, they left crumbling railways and fewer than two dozen indigenous people with college educations.” (980).

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
FRED BRIDGLAND / CASEMATE PUBLISHERS / MEDIADRUMWORLD.COM

# data[].attributes.body
“During the Cold War, these postcolonial regions were often the turf on which the superpower struggle was waged” (1044). A lack of respect for emerging nations combined with their vulnerability meant that any leaning towards communism or capitalism meant the East and West were going to wage war. These battles were never fought on United States or Soviet Union soil though, instead they would incite violence and funnel cash/weapons to aid their respective side in the battles. This meant that already weak or unstable countries were constantly being fought over from within, destroying communities and people alike.

This further tears down African countries and in most cases sets the stage for further violence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Greg Marinovich / Africa Media Onlin 1994

# data[].attributes.body
Despite so much conflict, there have been areas that were able to recover and form a productive democracy. One such example is South Africa where “the white minority government’s brutal racial policies of apartheid were challenged by Nelson Mandela” (1044). Mandela was able to calm the population and reduce the racial violence, avoiding a civil war and creating constitutional reform.

The other route that countries have taken has lead to war and genocide. In Rwanda, a former colony, the Hutu people launched a campaign of Genocide against the Tutsi people. Over 800,000 people were slaughtered in a very short time period.