Answer to Question #250136 in History for Emp

Question

1.     How did the 19th-century science of white supremacy work to justify the colonization of foreign peoples?

2.     What role did international competition play in the “Scramble for Africa” at the end of the nineteenth century?

Answer 1

How did the 19th-century science of white supremacy work to justify the colonization of foreign peoples?

White supremacy, beliefs and ideas purporting natural superiority of the lighter-skinned, or “white,” human races over other racial groups. In contemporary usage, the term white supremacist has been used to describe some groups espousing ultranationalist, racist, or fascist doctrines. White supremacist groups often have relied on violence to achieve their goals.

2. What role did international competition play in the “Scramble for Africa” at the end of the nineteenth century?

The Berlin Conference of 1884, which regulated European colonization and trade in Africa, is usually referred to as the starting point of the Scramble for Africa. There were considerable political rivalries among the European empires in the last quarter of the 19th century. Partitioning Africa was effected without wars between European nations. In the later years of the 19th century, the European nations transitioned from "informal imperialism" — i.e., exercising military influence and economic dominance — to direct rule, bringing out colonial imperialism.