Ethiopia’s Resistance Against European Imperialism
By:
Joshua Shin,
Richard Spencer,
and Kiran Thottapilly
The Division of Africa
After Effects
Pros :
- Colonialism reduced warfare
- Humanitarian efforts improved sanitation and provided hospitals
- Lifespans increased and literacy rate grew
- To promote the economy railroads, dams and telephone/telegraph lines were built
Cons:
- Most of Africa lost land and Independence
- introduction to new diseases killed many
- many lost in war
- famines occurred
- tradition deteriorated
- men had to work for colonials to support their families
- Africa was divided up by the europeans
- artificial boundaries created civil war in africa
- The division of Africa started around 1880.
- The discoveries of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1886 in Africa increased European interest in colonizing the continent. Every European country competed in this race in conquering Africa.
- In 1884-85, 14 European countries met at the Berlin Conference to discuss the division of Africa.
- No African ruler was invited to attend any meetings.
- By 1914, only Ethiopia remained free from European control.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Textbook
- http://www.ethiopiantreasures.co.uk/pages/menelik.htm
- http://www.biography.com/people/menelik-ii-9405715
- http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-resistance.html
- http://www.blackpast.org/perspectives/battle-adwa-adowa-1896
Ethiopia’s Successful Resistance
AFRICAN COUNTRIES
- Ethiopia was the only African nation that successfully resisted against the Europeans.
- Its victory was due to one man- Menelik II.
- Menelik II successfully played Italians, French, British against each other and in the meantime Menelik built a large arsenal of modern weapons purchased from France and Russia which was used to defend from other countries trying to invade Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s new capital
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Menelik II, (r.1889-1909)
African Resistance
- AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
- BELGIUM
- DENMARK
- FRANCE
- GERMANY
- GREAT BRITAIN
- ITALY
- NETHERLANDS
- PORTUGAL
- RUSSIA
- SPAIN
- SWEDEN-NORWAY
- TURKEY
- Menelik changed the capital from Entoto to Addis Ababa the present day capital of Ethiopia.
- He did this to build a modern capital
- He built schools and hospitals.
- He introduced electricity and the telephone.
- Later he built a railway in his capital, all with the help of the French. (This linked Addis Ababa to Djibouti and promoted trade.)
- All the modernization made Ethiopia more inviting.
- Emperor of Ethiopia.
- He expanded the empire while Europeans were carving up other parts of Africa
- Menelik was a Strong leader because he lead his armies atrocities against his enemies which include mutilation, killings and large scale slavery.
- Repelled an Italian invasion
- He tried to modernize Ethiopia.
- Europeans yearned for more resources to fuel industrial production.
- Africa was a major source of raw material and base of industrial products.
- Europeans seized Africa for this reason.
- Refuted European actions to colonize their lands.
- Europeans were superior in weaponry.
- All the Resistance attempts failed in the end, with the exception of Ethiopia.
Battle of Adowa
- The Battle of Adowa (Adwa) was a stunning victory for Ethiopia but a disaster for Italy.
- Shorty after Menelik II signed a treaty with Italy in 1889, he found differences between the wording of the treaty in the Ethiopian language and in Italian.
- Menelik II thought that he was giving up a tiny portion of North Ethiopia but instead Italy claimed all of Ethiopia as a protectorate which forced Menelik to declare war.
- In 1896, one of the greatest wars in the history of Africa- the Battle of Adowa- Ethiopian forces successfully defeated the Italians and kept their nation independent.
Ethiopian forces, win the battle. Painted 1965-75.