There Berlin conference it was a series of meetings called by chancellor of theGerman Empire, Otto von Bismarckfollowing the request from Leopold IIking of Belgiumto formalize the possession of the area of the “Congo basin”, defending it from the aims of other European powers, including the France (also a strong promoter of the summit) and the United Kingdom. The works lasted from November 15, 1884 al February 26, 1885 and at the end of the negotiations the diplomats of the various participating powers sanctioned not only the possession of the Congo by the Kingdom of Belgiumbut also the partition of the entire African continentdecreeing the birth of a new political and economic order that would last until Cold War and to decolonization.
The historical exploitation of Africa by Arabs and Europeans
The relations between the African continent and the European powers are long-standing and already at the time of great geographical discoveries (15th-16th centuries) the navigators in the pay of the kingdoms of Europe had begun a methodical work of mapping the coasts of the continent. This was then followed by a first attempt at expansion, especially by the Portuguesebut which had never gone beyond the coasts of the areas perceived as most strategic.
The exploration of the boundless internal lands subsequently became the prerogative of adventurers, Christian missionaries and unfortunately gods slave tradersespecially Arabs, until, during the 19th century, the interest of the European powers in Africa, in particular in the “Congo basin” area rich in natural resources, grew again.
Surprisingly however, it was not one of the heavyweights of the European continent who launched the first “coup de main”. Leopold IImonarch of Belgium between 1865 and 1909, who using the activities of theInternational Association for the Exploration and Civilization of Central Africa (Association Internationale pour l’Exploration et la Civilization de l’Afrique Centrale in French), established in 1876began to take possession and intensively exploit the territories that would become it “Congo Free State” (now the Democratic Republic of Congo).
The Berlin Conference: causes and outcomes
Leopold II’s coup immediately sent the great European chancelleries into fibrillation, which rushed to grab concessions of territories first in the areas close to the “Congo basin” and, subsequently, in other areas of the continent, increasing international tensions and, consequently, the possibilities of an open clash with unpredictable outcomes.
That’s how it was Otto von Bismarckchancellor ofGerman Empire and main arbiter of political balances within the European continent, was finally forced, in 1884to call a conference in Berlin to reach a peaceful settlement of the disputes that had arisen over the years. They participated in this event, of capital importance in the history of diplomacy all the European powersbut also the Ottoman Empire, Russia and the United States of Americaat the time rising stars on the world political scene.
At the end of the conference, not all participants won the right to carve out colonial possessions in Africa (Russia and Austria-Hungary, just to mention a couple), and the United States of America (unique in the diplomatic landscape) reserved the right to accept or reject the conclusions of the diplomatic round. Beyond theAmerican exceptionalismHowever, the other participants still agreed on a series of principles and practices of action which from then on became an integral part of geopolitical thought and action. The most important of these achievements was to formally recognize the principle of “sphere of influence” over which a specific power claimed the right to exercise its interests in a privileged manner despite the wishes of others.
The conclusion of the Conference’s work inaugurated a period of incessant wars, which lasted until the eve of the First World War (1914) which led the European powers to physically take possession, through the establishment of colonies or protectorates, of all the territories of Africa, with the only exception being Ethiopiawhich managed to protect its independence. This complicated period of wars went down in history under the English-language name of Scramble for Africa (loosely translatable as “The race for Africa”, “The fight for Africa” or “The fight for Africa”).
The fate of African peoples after the Berlin Conference
Without a doubt the great losers of the Berlin Conference were African peoples. As was natural for the historical period, none of the participants in the Conference took the slightest trouble to ask the populations of the continent how they wanted to govern themselves or even just lead their lives.
In the “Congo Free State” (later reformed as a simple Belgian colony) the rule inaugurated by Leopold II had its final outcome in a genocide which caused the death of over 10 million Congoleseout of 33 million total inhabitants, but one should not believe that elsewhere in Africa things were much better. The irony of this whole affair is that one of the reasons flaunted by the European leaders of the time to justify in the eyes of their public opinions the need to embark on expensive and exhausting colonial military campaigns was precisely the need to free Africans from slavery.
The conquest of the African continent was largely completed on the eve of the First World War, tracing the borders of the various countries with a ruler and square, and the new geopolitical order that was created would be maintained (albeit with various adjustments) until Cold War and to the process of decolonization.
