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Africa Before Imperialism

Africa Before Imperialism. Cultural Diversity. Africa in the 19 th Century was home to hundreds of different cultures, ethnicities, and languages ; And dozens of different religions and governmental systems. African Economic Systems. 1) Hunting and Gathering:

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Africa Before Imperialism

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  1. Africa Before Imperialism

  2. Cultural Diversity • Africa in the 19th Century was home to hundreds of different cultures, ethnicities, and languages; • And dozens of different religions and governmental systems

  3. African Economic Systems • 1) Hunting and Gathering: • Involves nomadic peoples and large areas; • Government is minimal, if it exists at all • Most common in the Sahel region of Northern Africa, and the Kalahari Desert of Southwest Africa • 2) Pastoralism • Involves domestication of animals, but not farming • Peoples are sometimes partially nomadic—perhaps traveling between summer and winter pastures • 3) Agrarianism • Domestication of animals AND extensive exploitation of land • Allows for much denser population, and more complex governments • Most common in West African forests • 4) Urban Trade-based Economies • In East African city-states in the 19th century, most people made their living via the trans-Indian Ocean trade

  4. African Political Systems • 1) Empires and Kingdoms • There were a number of large kingdoms/empires in 19th Century Africa, with strong centralized governments • Examples: Dahomey; the Zulu Kingdom • 2) Tribal Political Groups • Many tribal/ethnic groups had de-centralized governments, where most authority lay with local chiefs; • But large issues were often decided by tribal/regional councils • Example: the Kikuyu tribe in Eastern Africa • 3) Stateless Societies • Many African tribes existed without ANY form of organized government • Clan and kinship groups, and traditional rules, governed the behavior of tribe members

  5. Contact with Europeans • Contact between sub-Saharan Africa and Europe began with Portuguese exploration in the late 1400s • In the 19th Century, however, European outposts in Africa were limited to small coastal areas • Europeans’ main interest in Africa was trade—especially valued were African gold, ivory, and slaves • European missionaries also visited Africa, seeking to convert Africans to Christianity

  6. Impact of the Slave Trade • Although the European presence was limited to the coasts—and the slave trade had mostly ended by about 1850—the Transatlantic Slave Trade had an enormous impact on Africa in the late 19th Century • The slave trade increased warfare among African tribes • The weapons that some tribes acquired in exchange for slaves created a military power imbalance in many areas

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