European Colonialism In Kenya

Ever heard the saying big bank take little bank ? That’s basically what imperialism is. Imperialism is a policy which a strong nation take complete control over other countries . This is exactly what the Europeans did in several different parts of Africa . Not only did the Europeans divided and colonized Africa but they took everything away ,from their culture to their independence. Why take all this away ? It’s simple , the Europeans nations was competing against each other and they thought they were superior. They noticed Africa had many raw materials and resources they could use and benefit from. The driving force for imperialism in Africa was economics , competition , and politics.

The biggest reason the British colonized Kenya was to gain more power and land. In August 7, 1885 five German ships landed on the coast of Africa and then ships from London, France and Britain came to claim territory for themselves. All these countries end up taking territory and Britain and England ended up claiming Kenya together. The British eventually wanted more land, so they traded a tiny useless island to them for the rest of Kenya. The tiny island ended up being a huge profit to England. Later on the British claimed part of Uganda, but then revoked it to focus more on controlling Kenya. In 1944 the first African American received a seat in the council of Kenya (the council ran all of Kenya). In 1950 the British took over all of the council and later in 1952 Jomo Kenyatta was arrested for rebelling against the British and for being a terrorist. Kenyatta inspired people to rebel against the government and gave people hope. A total of 11,000 Africans were killed in prison camps for rebelling and protesting. The British

The European colonization of Africa, also known as the Scramble for Africa, Partition of Africa, or Conquest of Africa, occurred between the 1870s and 1900s, and was the invasion, occupation, colonization, and annexation of African territory by European powers during a period of New Imperialism. European control of the continent increased from 10 percent (1870) to 90 percent (1914), with only three territories, Saguia el-Hamra, which was later integrated into Spanish Sahara, Ethiopia and Liberia remaining independent of Europe’s control. There were many reasons for the European colonization of Africa, including economic and political motives, with the Berlin Conference serving as a catalyst. Africans resisted the European invasions of their lands, with the two main methods of opposition were guerilla warfare and direct military engagement. European influence on Africa still remains today, though these influences are generally negative and hurt Africa’s overall development.

Africa has had a long and tumultuous road of colonization and decolonization the rush to colonize Africa started in the 17th century with the discovery of the vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and rubber with colonization hitting a fever pitch during World War I. However, the repercussions of colonization have left deep wounds that still remain unhealed in the 21st century. Early on, European nations such as Britain, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium scrambled for territories. Countries wanted land so they could harvest the resources, increase trade, and gain power. The European colonization of Africa brought racism, civil unrest, and insatiable greed; all of which have had lasting impacts on Africa.

There was a great question asked by numerous individuals in the eighteenth century with what happens to people’s lives when their country is a colony of another country. This was very important to Americans when they were being ruled by Great Britain, and even to this day it remains important when countries find themselves controlled by more powerful outsiders. But what is colonialism? Colonialism occurs when one nation takes control of another. Kenya’s experience as a colony of Great Britain gives us more of an idea of what being colonized meant both to the people being controlled and to those who control them. Although it seems hard to believe, Kenya was created by the Europeans and generally this had a positive on effect on Kenyans because it began development.

What is imperialism? Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. Beginning in the 1800s European explorers began to push their way into the interiors of western and central Africa. In 1807 the British outlawed the trans-Atlantic and in 1833 slavery itself bringing a new wave of imperialism. What were the driving force behind European Imperialism in Africa?

Imperialism is when a strong country seizes a weaker country and takes control of their economy, politics, and culture. Countries Imperialize each other because they desire more power, control over one another, and want to be superior. Europe Imperialized Africa because of three main reasons: social, political, and economic. Due to Europe going through Industrialization they went to Africa which was not very developed, so the Europeans took whatever they want because they weren’t stopped. They also began spreading christianity in Africa because of how big it was in Europe.

Under the British Empire, Kenya was affected negatively, because it had a large impact on its and culture. In Document 5, it shows individuals who lead Kenya, including the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta and Tom Mboya, Independence activist wearing suits similar to clothings that Europeans wore. It made Kenyans feel that what they were wearing was unfashionable and bizarre so they changed how they dressed. Colonization had a huge impact on Kenya’s culture. European Colonization influenced Kenya negatively different way, by making people convert their religion.

During the time period 1850-1914, even though Britain imperializing, Kenya was, in turn, very beneficial for the inhabitants of Kenya. However, the direct rule of Britain put Kenya through a massive transition from being independent to being colonial dominant, in which the natives of Kenya had lesser rights than did before and were treated inhumanely. Before being imperialized, Kenya was already divided into forty-two tribes. The two main kinfolks to be known are the Masai and the Kikuyu. These tribes helped in making the country's diversity, rich culture and heritage. Nonetheless, Kenya didn’t have much global contact; however, they did trade with the Arab merchants but kept it limited because they wanted to preserve their traditional

But they have no land and no food and they have lost laughter.” This quote states many Kenyan people have lost who they truly are due to the fact that the Britain took over their land. Children grew up not knowing their traditions, culture and their language. This effect was socially negative because many people had to leave their culture behind to follow a new one that they did not know and was new to them. As well, Kenyan people lost hope and lost their meaning in living.

Colonialism in Kenya changed the Kenyans beliefs because europe was in control of Kenya they established rules that were against their religious beliefs and their norms. In exchange for raw materials, cash crops(coffee, tea, etc.), diamonds, and gold the Europeans gave the Kenyans and Africans their Christian religion, a “superior” government, and (to the Europeans) a more developed civilization.

Before the Europeans began to explore Africa, little was known about the continent. However, after some initial exploration of Africa, the Europeans soon realized how economically important this area was, and how much they could profit from it. At the time, European countries had only small colonies in Africa, but after they realized that they could make money from the resources in the inner regions of Africa, they wanted to invade the African regions and assume control. This led to “ the race” and ultimately, the partition of Africa. There were many motives for the Europeans to imperialize Africa. There were humanitarian and religious goals, political goals, military goals, and most importantly, there were economic interests. During the Berlin conference, The European powers decided that they were going to spread the three C’s (Christianity, Commerce, and Civilization) in Africa. To do this, the conference had three aims “ Ensure free trade for all nations throughout the Congo, to ensure free navigation for all countries on the Niger River of West Africa, and agree to set rules by which the Europeans could proceed to divide the rest of the continent.” (Part II: The European Conquest, Pg 11). Later in the document it states that not one African representative was present at the Berlin Conference to discuss Africa's future. The European people tricked themselves into thinking that what they were doing

The first people in what is now Kenya settled there around 2,000 BC. By 800 AD, Arabs migrated to Kenya because of the distance between the two places. Soon after, the Swahili culture was created in Kenya as a result of trade because of cultures blending. Europeans began navigating by ship to Kenya, and the Portuguese, with Vasco da Gama, were first to reach the country. The Portuguese helped open new ports and had a cultural impact on Kenya. However, the Islamic soon controlled Kenya until the English took over in the 1800’s. In 1885, Britain controlled Kenya when Africa was split up among European countries. Many people, mainly settlers and Indians, took land from the native tribes while the English were in power. Many native Kenyans had

The British colonization of Kenya destroyed the culture and economy of the native people, but it established a democratic government and left Kenya a more modernized country.[1] During the 1880’s through 1914, the start of WWI, was an age of imperialism. One place that felt victim to this imperialism was Africa. At this time Africa was a wholly unmodernized continent. The reason the Europeans went after Africa was the introduction of the idea of social Darwinism and the “white man’s burden”. Social Darwinism is the belief that only the strongest and the most cunning can make it to the top of the social ladder, and it was the White Man’s Burden to step in for these undeveloped countries

Jomo Kenyatta’s ethnography, Facing Mt. Kenya was written in the 1930’s about Kikuyu society during 1890-1910, the early years of British colonialism in Kenya. Since the coming of the early colonization the Kikuyu people have tried to develop a religious attitude that would define it’s own culture while adapting forcefully to the European conforms of religion.