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Suez Canal
Human-made waterway that cut through the isthmus of Suez. Build mainly with French money from private interest groups and used Egyptian labor. -
British control of Suez Canal
Irrigation projects and communication networks were enormously expensive. Egypt could not pay its European bankers its $450 million debt. The British insisted on overseeing financial control of the canal, and in 1882 the British occupied Egypt. -
Berlin Conference
14 European nations met at the Berlin Conference to make rules for the division of Africa. -
Boer War
Diamonds and gold were discovered in Africa. People from around the world came to make their fortunes. An attempted rebellion against the Boers failed, and the Boers blamed the British and took up arms against them.
