The colonial testament: An economic re-interpretation of Europe's motives for colonizing Africa

Moses Allor Awinsong

Abstract


Abstract: This paper examines the motives put forward by European statesmen and historians for the formal annexations or colonization of Africa. An explanatory and argumentative paradigm to historical research is adopted to dissect the “public explanations†proffered by statesmen and historians of Europe for the colonization of Africa. The reasons given for colonization were political, economic, humanitarian and moral, and religious in nature. Though this paper does not wholly refute the authenticity of these claims, it posits that there was an overriding economic concern that underlay the formal annexation of Africa and the carving out of spheres of influence by European nations. It examines the four main explanations European historians have offered for colonization and argues that the economic and commercial motive was the chief reason for the formal colonization of the continent of Africa.

Key words: Africa; Colonialism; Economic; Europe

 

 

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References


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International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

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