The scramble for Africa
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can recall Britain’s role in the scramble for Africa.
Key learning points
- Economic interests and imperial expansion drove European interest in African colonies in the 19th century.
- In 1875 Britain bought shares in the Suez Canal and effectively controlled Egypt until the 1950s.
- The 1884-5 Berlin Conference partitioned Africa and led to British dominance.
- European colonisation had far-reaching and enduring consequences that have shaped Africa's history.
Keywords
Partition - to divide into parts
Arbitrary - something that is decided or done without any clear reason, logic, or fairness
Effective occupation - the principle that European countries could control parts of Africa if they could establish that they already exerted influence there
Common misconception
Britain and competing European powers met at the Berlin Conference before the scramble for Africa had begun.
Britain and competing European powers had already been 'scrambling' for Africa for the majority of the 19th century. The Berlin Conference was an attempt to put an end to the fighting between European powers over Africa's land and resources.
Teacher tip
Make sure students are aware that Africa was colonised by various means. It was not just done through military conquest, but also through examples of economic and political action such as that seen in Britain's purchasing of shares in the Suez Canal.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word describes building projects that help enable travel and communication within a country?
Q2.Which word describes waterways enabling crop growth in areas where beforehand it was not possible?
Q3.Who helped Queen Victoria rule in India after 1876?
Q4.Complete the sentence: Historians' of the impact of British rule on India differ from one to another.
Q5.Which of the following pieces of evidence could a historian use to argue that the British Empire had a positive impact on India?
Q6.Which of the following examples show that British society was enriched culturally by India?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word describes something that is decided or done without any clear reason, logic, or fairness?
Q2.Which word describes the principle that European countries could control parts of Africa if they could establish that they already exerted influence there?
Q3.When did the Berlin Conference take place?
Q4.What was the main driving force behind European engagement with Africa in the 19th century?
Q5.Who attended the Berlin Conference?
Q6.What were the negative impacts of colonial rule in Africa?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The scramble for Africa, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The scramble for Africa, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Britain: Migration, empires and the people - c790 to the present day unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.