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By the 1850s, European trade relations with African countries had become well established. Europeans would often trade textiles and other goods from factories for resources and raw materials. At this time, many European nations became interested in Africa, and this would eventually lead to the carving up of Africa.
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In 1857, the Muslim and Indian sepoys rebelled against the British East India Company because their guns were sealed with pig and cow fat, animals that are sacred to their religions. The revolt was put down, but the British saw that a change needed to be made. After this, the British Raj was established, or the time that Britain directly controlled India.
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The Suez Canal was a very ambitious plan launched by the French to create a a passage between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The canal was funded by the French and built by the native Egyptians, but the French ran out of money so the canal was taken over by the British.
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In 1884, King Leopold of Belgium arranged for all of the European powers to meet in Berlin to discuss colonizing Africa. However there were some people not invited: the Africans. The Europeans cut up Africa against the will of the natives, and this began a very bad time period for the native Africans.
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Queen Liliuokalani took the throne of Hawaii in 1893. Little did she knos that later she would be driven from power by the American company Dole Pineapple.
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In 1896, the Ethiopians defeated the Italians under the military genius of King Menelik II, their brilliant ruler. He not only played invading nations against each other to maintain his country's freedom, but he also created a very strong and modern army.
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In 1898, the Spanish-American War started, in which the Americans ended up defeating the Spanish. As a result, they received the Spanish territories of the Phillipines and Puerto Rico, both of which were very profitable for America.
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The Boer War, started in 1899, was fought between Boers, or Dutch farmers, and the British. Both groups felt that they had the right to control the lands of South Africa, and it escalated to war. The British eventually drove the Boers out of South Africa, which started the Great Trek for the Boers escaping the attacking British soldiers.
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By 1914, after Africa had been split up in the Berlin Conference, the European nations had taken control of almost all of Africa, with the exception being Ethiopia and Liberia.
