(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Africa Under Colonial Rule

This lay down the foundation for a series of anti-colonial wars by the Xhosa who were driving large herds of their cattle across the border in search of grazing. Clashes between them and border farmers took place and by the end of 1779, many farmers have abandoned their farms on the Fish and Bushmans rivers. After two farmers' commandoes were organised in 1779 and 1780 to follow the Xhosa into their own country, Adriaan van Jaarsveld were instructed to implement the establishment of the eastern border of the Colony (Greater Fish and Bushman's Rivers) by enforcing a relocation of all Xhosa chiefdoms living to the west of the Greater Fish River. Under the pretense of bringing them a gift of goodwill, he ordered his commando to attack the Xhosa who were unsuspecting and unarmed. They defeated the Xhosa, and took 6 000 head of cattle which they divided themselves and other border farmers who had suffered losses during raids by the Xhosa. This series of attacks marks the First Frontier War, between the Xhosa and Dutch colonists. It is the first of a series of nine wars waged by the Xhosa against various colonial administrations.
             The Second Frontier War in 1790 begun as commandos of the Graaff-Reinet area forced the Xhosa chiefdoms across the Fish River to colonial rule and stole their cattle. Their view was that that they were not stealing the cattle, but taking back what had belonged to them before raids by the Xhosa. The war ended three years later in a truce that did not appease the Dutch's demand for more land than they had already taken from the Xhosa. In March Of 1799, the Reverend Johannes Theodorus van der Kemp, physician and missionary of the London Missionary Society, arrived at the Cape from the Netherlands. He began his activities in collaboration with the Chief of the Xhosa, Ngqika, but established his settlement of Bethelsdorp in the Khoi-khoi region. This did not go down well with the Khoi-khoi, who managed to persuade Nggika to join forces with them and rise up against the missionaries.


Essays Related to Africa Under Colonial Rule

1. European Colonialism in Africa

... to gain control of Zimbabwe (www.sahistory.org.za). The Battle of Isandhlwana in South Africa was when a Zulu army under the leadership of the king of Isandhlwana defeated a force of 8000 European soldiers. This was the single greatest defeat suffered by the British in their colonial endeavors in Africa and Asia (www.sahistory.org.za). The Maji-Maji Uprising of 1905 took place ... a long duration of time but the British did defeat the Asante in 1874 at the Battle of Amoafo- this paved the way for colonial rule in the gold coast. (www.sahistory.org.za). Samori Ture- While colonizing in W...

  • Word Count: 3051
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Has Bibliography

2. Modernization of Africa

... drawn up in 1884/5, very little has changed in terms of the continent's territorial divisions. Much has been made of the fact that the post-colonial states which constitute Africa were the products of colonial demarcations, and whose territories are not congruent to existing political and ethnic organizations. Ethnic conflict within states is an unfortunate feature of several African states, ... prize worth fighting for(Warner 2001, p89).  One example of ethnic cleavage which can be traced directly to colonial foundations is that of the African/Asian (Indian) divide in Kenya and Ugand...

  • Word Count: 1713
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. A Far Cry From Africa by Derek Walcott

... Uprising against British colonists in Kenya during the 1950s. Where earlier the speaker seemed to blame the victims, he now blames those who forced the colonial system onto Kenya and polarized the population. They cannot justify their actions, because their reasons will never matter to the "white child" ... though the government knew little about it except that militant Kikuyus were winning over, coercing, or forcing other Kikuyus to take an oath against foreign rule. Then, on October 20, 1952, after Mau Mau killings of European cattle and the execution of a Kikuyu chief loyal to the Bri...

  • Word Count: 4862
  • Approx Pages: 19
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Culture Of Africa

... as a result of European contact, there have been both significant and lasting changes in Africa that have occurred; through political oppression and economic exploitation. Politically, there is a lasting social impact on Africans which permitted a nonpartisan status of the former African political system "under colonial dominance and rule. European contact, namely in the course of using excessive force, beneath the control of ... timelessness. Yet the truth is that Africa has as much history as anywhere else in the world. It has undergone momentous changes time and again, especially in ...

  • Word Count: 2439
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. South-Africa

... sought to expand their borders by moving into the continent. The colonial rulers were often cruel and had little regard for the Africans. King Leopold II of Belgium obtained personal title to the Congo in central Africa. He forced the native people to work under cruel conditions in his rubber plants. Every village was required to donate four people a ... II. The British granted Gold Coast independence in 1957. The indigenous government of the former colony reached into Africa's glorious past to rename themselves Ghana. These factors contributed to the end of colonialism in Africa: Mohen...

  • Word Count: 2251
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Africa in WWII

... for the rise of Hitler in Germany. Hitler wanted to re-establish the German war machine and empire. Africa was seen as a possibility for re-colonization under the new dictator. Meanwhile in Italy, Mussolini was in power and allied himself with Hitler. Not wanting to ... war, the British and French were in dyer need of troops. This forced the colonial powers to draft Africans for the first time. African troops ,with the exception of those from South Africa who were not allowed to bear arms, were to play a much more combatant role ... Africa. Half a million Africans fought for the French a...

  • Word Count: 1556
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Geopolitical significance of the South Africa to the British

... brought not by Africans themselves, but the whites that ruled it. And throughout the 19th and mid - 20th centuries it was under British rule. British Empire invested a lot of capital in its colonies and South Africa was one of those colonies that had great capital flow from the "ruler" British Empire. As Eric Hobsbawm puts it " most of the British foreign investment ... expansion of the exchange and capitalist productive forces had generated a complex society at the Cape". Until late 18th century Cape was under Dutch rule and was recognized as Dutch Colony and in early 19th century Bri...

  • Word Count: 2767
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Was The Dutch Influence in Africa as Profound as the English

... their home countries. They came into contact with a race of people completely alien to them. Likewise, the arrival of the Dutch in Africa sent out shockwaves throughout the continent. The effects of both of these comings could be felt throughout the continents The differences between the Native ... them in their opposition to the European advance. When the Portuguese arrived in Africa and began to exploit the area for profit, they, along with the Spanish, ruled the seas. Both Spain and Portugal were under the control of Spain's King, and he had recently declared it his mission ... "more...

  • Word Count: 3521
  • Approx Pages: 14
  • Has Bibliography

9. Africa

... the continent's great variety in geography, terrain, climate, flora, fauna, peoples, languages and cultures. Much of contemporary Africa has been shaped by European colonial rule, industrialization, urbanization, and the demands of a world economic system. For more than seventy years, large regions of Africa were ruled by Great Britain, France, Belgium, Portugal, and Spain. African peoples from various ethnic, linguistic, and ... cultural backgrounds were brought together to form colonial states. For decades, Africans struggled to gain their independence. It ... of their survival. The I...

  • Word Count: 1296
  • Approx Pages: 5

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question