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Year 9

The British Empire and the Scramble for Africa

I can explain how British imperialism in Africa changed during the 19th century.

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New
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Year 9

The British Empire and the Scramble for Africa

I can explain how British imperialism in Africa changed during the 19th century.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Britain's African colonies were mostly confined to coastal areas in the early 19th century.
  2. Trade was a key British interest in Africa.
  3. British colonisation in Africa was limited by resistance, disease and the unwillingness of some officials.
  4. Britain's empire in Africa grew significantly during the Scramble for Africa.
  5. Rivalry with other European empires was a key motive for British colonisation during the Scramble for Africa.

Keywords

  • African interior - areas of Africa beyond its coastlines were often referred to as the African interior

  • Abolitionism - abolitionism refers to the movement which supported abolishing slavery and the slave trade

  • Missionaries - missionaries are people who travel to foreign countries to spread Christianity

  • Colonisation - colonisation is the process of taking over and ruling new areas as colonies

Common misconception

Britain ruled over large areas of Africa throughout the 19th century.

British colonies were mainly confined to coastal areas in the first half of the 19th century. It was only later that British rule extended into the African interior.

Visual demonstration can help support pupils comprehension of the transformation in scale of British rule in Africa. Students struggling on task C could be prompted with two images (i.e. those from slides 8 and 33) to support them.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. diplomacy involves the use or threat of force against other countries to achieve foreign policy aims.
Correct Answer: gunboat, Gunboat, gun boat, Gun boat, Gun Boat
Q2.
What colony in East Asia did Britain gain official control over in 1842?
Correct Answer: Hong Kong, Hong Kong island, Hongkong
Q3.
How was British trade with the Qing Empire affected in the years after the Opium Wars?
Correct answer: increased
stayed the same
decreased
Q4.
Write the missing word. empire involved a country gaining significant influence over another but not actually ruling that other country.
Correct Answer: informal, Informal
Q5.
Which statement is most accurate?
Britain's formal empire expanded significantly as a result of the Opium Wars.
Correct answer: Britain's formal empire expanded slightly as a result of the Opium Wars.
Britain's formal empire shrank slightly as a result of the Opium Wars.
Britain's formal empire shrank significantly as a result of the Opium Wars.
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
1 - Britain trades opium illegally in Britain.
2 - Qing officials confiscate and destroy opium being traded in China.
3 - Britain and the Qing Empire go to war.
4 - Treaty of Nanking signed.
5 - British rule over Hong Kong extended to the Kowloon Peninsula.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the terms to their correct definitions.
Correct Answer:African interior,areas of Africa beyond its coastlines

areas of Africa beyond its coastlines

Correct Answer:abolitionism,movement which supported abolishing slavery and the slave trade

movement which supported abolishing slavery and the slave trade

Correct Answer:missionaries,people who travel to foreign countries to spread Christianity

people who travel to foreign countries to spread Christianity

Correct Answer:colonialism,process of taking over and ruling new areas as colonies

process of taking over and ruling new areas as colonies

Q2.
Which of the following was a British colony before 1850?
Abyssinia
Egypt
Correct answer: Gambia
Q3.
Write the missing word. During the first half of the 19th century, British rule in Africa was mainly restricted to areas.
Correct Answer: coastal, coast
Q4.
Write the missing word. Britain gained colonies such as Egypt and Nigeria during the for Africa.
Correct Answer: Scramble, scramble
Q5.
What did Lord Palmerston, British Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister, say about colonisation in Africa?
Britain needed more colonies to trade in Africa.
Correct answer: Britain did not need colonies to trade in Africa.
Britain needed fewer colonies to help it trade in Africa.
Q6.
Which example best demonstrates the role of European rivalry in motivating British colonisation in Africa?
Britain wanted palm oil from West Africa for its industry.
David Livingstone worked as a missionary in the African interior.
Correct answer: France began exploring Sudan in the late 19th century.

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