3.What drew the average European to places like Central Africa? What made them think they could leave their “bourgeois morality back in Europe?”
As European countries began to industrialize and become imperial powers, they needed to expand and conquer other areas for resources. Europeans such as the Dutch were drawn to Central Africa because of the ivory trade and the immense amount of wealth which could be gained from the exploitation of these resources. As Europe modernized and prosperity increased, there was an increase in ivory demand to make luxary goods such as piano keys, billiard balls, knife handles, and ornamental carvings. (Brittanica).
Also, during the 18th and 19th centuries, the Europeans realized that Africa could also provide a cheap labor force. With superior weapons such are guns, they were able to overwhelm and capture many people as slaves to ship over to the Americas which needed a cheap labor force. This mainly occurred on the west coast of Africa however the trading extended into Central Africa as well.
Central Africa gained attention with King Leopold II. His father had attempted to found colonies in the Americas and the Pacific however he failed and Leopold II turned his attention to Central Africa which was not as prized and less known to Europeans at the time. (Brittanica).
Europeans believed that they could leave their “bourgeois morality back in Europe" because for the most part, Africa was seen as savage and there for the taking. Like the Native Americans and European conquest and colonization, the native people were seen as inferior and exploitable for other purposes. For economic reasons,"European merchants and trading companies called on their home governments to intervene and impose "free trade," by force if necessary. It was these political, diplomatic, and commercial factors and contentions that led to the military conflicts and organized African resistance to European imperialism." (Africana Age). It was in the haste to expand and gain an economic advantage that the Europeans brutalized and exploited Central Africa.
I love that you have history in your response with examples. It is a really good point that the Europeans saw Africans as savage people and lost their morality because they already thought the African people had none. None that was to their standards though. The Europeans had a closed mind, since the African communities did not have a structure reflecting the Europeans the foreigners simply took advantage. The examples with billiard balls and piano keys were very interesting.
ReplyDeleteYour discussion of the causes of Europe's relationship with Africa was interesting and relevant, but I would have appreciated some exploration of why individuals, the "average European," thought and acted the way that they did.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to look into the mindset and decisions of individuals. I'd say (with no evidence to support it) that some sort of collective attitude influenced individual decisions, that is, the general perception of colonialism and Africa filtered the decisions of people. Soldiers were dedicated to their nation and onlookers (those at home) probably new little and didn't protest.
DeleteI thought that the placement of your examples, and the examples themselves, really helped strengthen the argument. I would have liked to hear more about who you consider to be an "average" European so I could better understand why these reasons appealed to them as much as they did.
ReplyDeleteThe average European wouldn't be the actual conqueror but the onlooker, the person at home who knows little about what goes on in Africa. Like in Enlly's blog, even if the average person knows about the brutality, few do anything.
DeleteYour argument was was compelling and very well supported. I feel like you could have connected the two questions in the prompt, like with the "cheap labor force" and the European opinion that Africans were "savage". Also, a point that I always like to make is the purpose of missionaries in Africa to create the illusion of a divine purpose to cover up the atrocities.
ReplyDeleteI agree that part of "missionizing" (It's a word cuz I say it is) is a cover. Some religious zealots would also, in a white savior sort of way, say that they are doing their part and bringing the savages to salvation. In terms of the average person, the average missionary probably saw little of the large picture or the economic/political basis of missionary ventures.
DeleteVery good use of examples and weaving them in to support your argument. I agree that with the modern age cam a greater demand for raw materials and this most certainly lead to the colonization of Africa.
ReplyDeleteYour argument was backed up with very supportive examples. Despite the fact that your argument was was very descriptive, I think you should elaborate on what you think an "average man" is.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you explained why european nations wanted to conquer African nations. I would have liked though, if you would have explained and talked about more on "bourgeios morality."
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