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European trade with Africa becomes well established
European nations wished to gain control of Africa in order to take advantage of the raw materials there and to use it as a market for industrial products. However, disease and river systems that were extremely difficult to navigate made European travel into the interior of Africa impossible. In the early 1800s, the steam-powered riverboat was introduced, allowing Europeans to conduct expeditions into the interior of Africa and to gain access of the trade routes there. -
East India Company collapses due to Sepoy Rebellion; British Raj begins
A rumor spread among the sepoys (Indian soldiers) that the cartridges of their Enfield rifles had been greased with pork and beef fat. Hindus consider the cow sacred and Muslims do not eat pork, so the sepoys refused to accept the cartridges, as they would have to bite them to use them. These sepoys were jailed, and the next day they rebelled. The East India Company could not take control, so the British government sent troops to help, taking direct command on India in 1858. -
Suez Canal links the Mediterranean and Red Seas
The Suez Canal's construction was supported by Muhammad Ali's grandson, Isma'il, who continued his grandfather's efforts to modernize Egypt. The canal was a human-made waterway that cut through the Isthmus of Suez, constructed using Egyptian labor and primarily with French money. Although the canal helped Britain gain access more easily to its Asian and African colonies, modernization projects such as the canal's construction were extremely expensive and led to its $450 million debt. -
Berlin Conference convenes to discuss terms for African colonization
Beginning at around 1880, European nations were all very eager to claim African territory. To prevent conflict among these countries, 14 European nations gathered at the Berlin Conference to establish rules for the division of Africa. No African ruler was invited to attend, and the European nations divided the continent without considering the different linguistic or ethnic groups that would be affected. -
Queen Liliuokalani takes the throne of Hawaii
Queen Liliuokalani wished to establish a new constitution that would increase her power as a monarch. In addition, this constitution would give the Hawaiians more political power but at the expense of the wealthy planters. A group of American businessmen devised a plan to overthrow the queen, and she was removed from power in 1893. -
Ethiopians defeat the invading Italians at the Battle of Adwa
In 1889, Menelik II (Ethiopia's emperor at the time) found differences in the wording in the treaty that he had signed with Italy. He had believed that he was only giving up a small part of Ethiopia, but the treaty had actually stated that Italy would claim all of the country as a protectorate. Menelik declared war in 1896, and this conflict would come come to be known as the Battle of Adwa. Ethiopia defeated the Italians and remained independent. -
Spanish-American War breaks out; Puerto Rico, Spain, and the Philippines taken from Spain
The Spanish-American war began when the United States joined the Cuban war for Independence. As a result of this war, the US obtained the Philippine Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Although the Filipinos were free from Spanish rule, many were unhappy that the Americans had taken their place. Emilio Aguinaldo, leader of the Filipino nationalists, argued that they had been promised independence immediately after the Spanish-American War, and the Philippine Republic was established soon after. -
Boer War in South Africa
The Boer, or South African, War was the first modern "total" war, meaning that instead of the traditional battlefield methods that had been used in previous wars, the Boers launched commando raids and used guerilla tactics to fight the British. The British retaliated by burning Boer farms and imprisoning women and children in concentration camps. The British eventually won the war. -
Most of Africa is under European control
As a result of the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885, the African continent had been divided up for European control. By 1914, the only countries that remained independent were Liberia and Ethiopia. Ethiopia's independence was due to the actions of Menelik II, emperor of Ethiopia. He played European nations against each other and developed a large arsenal of weapons to protect Ethiopia against European conquest.
