Aadishesh/ncerts · Datasets at Hugging Face

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colonial powers. The US also became a
colonial power in the late 1890s by takingover some colonies earlier held by Spain.
Let us look at one example of the destructive
impact of colonialism on the economy andlivelihoods of colonised people.
Sir Henry Morton Stanley in Central
Africa
Stanley was a journalist and explorer sent
by the New York Herald to find Livingston,
a missionary and explorer who had been inAfrica for several years. Like other Europeanand American explorers of the time, Stanleywent with arms, mobilised local hunters,warriors and labourers to help him, foughtwith local tribes, investigated Africanterrains, and mapped different regions.These explorations helped the conquestof Africa. Geographical explorations werenot driven by an innocent search forscientific information. They were directlylinked to imperial projects.Box 2
Fig. 10 – Map of colonial Africa at the end of the nineteenth century.
Fig. 11 – Sir Henry Morton Stanley and his retinue in Central Africa ,
Illustrated London News, 1871.
MOROCCO
ALGERIASPANISH
SAHARA
RIO
DE ORO
PORT
GUINEAFRENCH SUDANFRENCH WEST AFRICA
NIGERIA
TOGOCAMEROONS
MIDDLE
CONGOCONGO
FREE STATE
(BELGIAN
CONGO)
ANGOLA
GERMAN
SOUTH WEST
AFRICA
UNION OF
SOUTH AFRICANORTHERN
RHODESIA
SOUTHERN
RHODESIAPORTUGUESE
EAST AFRICA
MADAGASCARGERMAN
EAST AFRICABRITISH
EAST AFRICABRITISH
SOMALILAND
ETHIOPIA
ITALIAN
SOMALILANDFRENCH
SOMALILANDERITREA
ANGLO-
EGYPTIAN
SUDANEGYPTLIBYA
(TRIPOLI)TUNISIAMEDITERRANEAN SEA
FRENCH
EQUATORIAL
AFRICASPANISH
MOROCCO
RED SEA
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
BELGIAN
BRITISH
FRENCH
GERMAN
ITALIANPORTUGUESE
SPANISH
BRITISH DOMINIONINDEPENDENT STATEGOLD
COAST IVORY
COASTSIERRA
LEONEIndia and the Contemporary World
862.4 Rinderpest, or the Cattle Plague
In Africa, in the 1890s, a fast-spreading disease of cattle plague
or rinderpest had a terrifying impact on people’s livelihoods
and the local economy. This is a good example of the
widespread European imperial impact on colonised societies.It shows how in this era of conquest even a disease affecting
cattle reshaped the lives and fortunes of thousands of people
and their relations with the rest of the world.
Historically, Africa had abundant land and a relatively small
population. For centuries, land and livestock sustained African
livelihoods and people rarely worked for a wage. In late-nineteenth-century Africa there were few consumer goods that
wages could buy. If you had been an African possessing land
and livestock – and there was plenty of both – you too wouldhave seen little reason to work for a wage.
In the late nineteenth century, Europeans were attracted to
Africa due to its vast resources of land and minerals. Europeanscame to Africa hoping to establish plantations and mines to
produce crops and minerals for export to Europe. But there
was an unexpected problem – a shortage of labour willing towork for wages.
Employers used many methods to recruit and retain labour. Heavytaxes were imposed which could be paid only by working for wages
on plantations and mines. Inheritance laws were changed so thatFig. 12 – Transport to the Transvaal gold mines,
The Graphic , 1887.
Crossing the Wilge river was the quickest method oftransport to the gold fields of Transvaal. After thediscovery of gold in Witwatersrand, Europeansrushed to the region despite their fear of disease anddeath, and the difficulties of the journey. By the1890s, South Africa contributed over 20 per cent ofthe world gold production.
Fig. 13 — Diggers at work
in the Transvaal gold fieldsin South Africa, The
Graphic, 1875.87
The Making of a Global Worldpeasants were displaced from land: only one member of a family
was allowed to inherit land, as a result of which the others werepushed into the labour market. Mineworkers were also confined in
compounds and not allowed to move about freely.
Then came rinderpest, a devastating cattle disease.Rinderpest arrived in Africa in the late 1880s. It was carried by
infected cattle imported from British Asia to feed the Italian soldiers
invading Eritrea in East Africa. Entering Africa in the east, rinderpestmoved west ‘like forest fire’, reaching Africa’s Atlantic coast in 1892.
It reached the Cape (Africa’s southernmost tip) five years later. Along
the way rinderpest killed 90 per cent of the cattle.
The loss of cattle destroyed African livelihoods. Planters, mine owners
and colonial governments now successfully monopolised what scarce
cattle resources remained, to strengthen their power and to forceAfricans into the labour market. Control over the scarce resource
of cattle enabled European colonisers to conquer and subdue Africa.

colonial powers. The US also became a

colonial power in the late 1890s by takingover some colonies earlier held by Spain.

Let us look at one example of the destructive

impact of colonialism on the economy andlivelihoods of colonised people.

Sir Henry Morton Stanley in Central

Africa

Stanley was a journalist and explorer sent

by the New York Herald to find Livingston,

a missionary and explorer who had been inAfrica for several years. Like other Europeanand American explorers of the time, Stanleywent with arms, mobilised local hunters,warriors and labourers to help him, foughtwith local tribes, investigated Africanterrains, and mapped different regions.These explorations helped the conquestof Africa. Geographical explorations werenot driven by an innocent search forscientific information. They were directlylinked to imperial projects.Box 2

Fig. 10 – Map of colonial Africa at the end of the nineteenth century.

Fig. 11 – Sir Henry Morton Stanley and his retinue in Central Africa ,

Illustrated London News, 1871.

MOROCCO

ALGERIASPANISH

SAHARA

RIO

DE ORO

PORT

GUINEAFRENCH SUDANFRENCH WEST AFRICA

NIGERIA

TOGOCAMEROONS

MIDDLE

CONGOCONGO

FREE STATE

(BELGIAN

CONGO)

ANGOLA

GERMAN

SOUTH WEST

AFRICA

UNION OF

SOUTH AFRICANORTHERN

RHODESIA

SOUTHERN

RHODESIAPORTUGUESE

EAST AFRICA

MADAGASCARGERMAN

EAST AFRICABRITISH

SOMALILAND

ETHIOPIA

ITALIAN

SOMALILANDFRENCH

SOMALILANDERITREA

ANGLO-

EGYPTIAN

SUDANEGYPTLIBYA

(TRIPOLI)TUNISIAMEDITERRANEAN SEA

FRENCH

EQUATORIAL

AFRICASPANISH

MOROCCO

RED SEA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

BELGIAN

BRITISH

FRENCH

GERMAN

ITALIANPORTUGUESE

SPANISH

BRITISH DOMINIONINDEPENDENT STATEGOLD

COAST IVORY

COASTSIERRA

LEONEIndia and the Contemporary World

862.4 Rinderpest, or the Cattle Plague

In Africa, in the 1890s, a fast-spreading disease of cattle plague

or rinderpest had a terrifying impact on people’s livelihoods

and the local economy. This is a good example of the

widespread European imperial impact on colonised societies.It shows how in this era of conquest even a disease affecting

cattle reshaped the lives and fortunes of thousands of people

and their relations with the rest of the world.

Historically, Africa had abundant land and a relatively small

population. For centuries, land and livestock sustained African

livelihoods and people rarely worked for a wage. In late-nineteenth-century Africa there were few consumer goods that

wages could buy. If you had been an African possessing land

and livestock – and there was plenty of both – you too wouldhave seen little reason to work for a wage.

In the late nineteenth century, Europeans were attracted to

Africa due to its vast resources of land and minerals. Europeanscame to Africa hoping to establish plantations and mines to

produce crops and minerals for export to Europe. But there

was an unexpected problem – a shortage of labour willing towork for wages.

Employers used many methods to recruit and retain labour. Heavytaxes were imposed which could be paid only by working for wages

on plantations and mines. Inheritance laws were changed so thatFig. 12 – Transport to the Transvaal gold mines,

The Graphic , 1887.

Crossing the Wilge river was the quickest method oftransport to the gold fields of Transvaal. After thediscovery of gold in Witwatersrand, Europeansrushed to the region despite their fear of disease anddeath, and the difficulties of the journey. By the1890s, South Africa contributed over 20 per cent ofthe world gold production.

Fig. 13 — Diggers at work

in the Transvaal gold fieldsin South Africa, The

Graphic, 1875.87

The Making of a Global Worldpeasants were displaced from land: only one member of a family

was allowed to inherit land, as a result of which the others werepushed into the labour market. Mineworkers were also confined in

compounds and not allowed to move about freely.

Then came rinderpest, a devastating cattle disease.Rinderpest arrived in Africa in the late 1880s. It was carried by

infected cattle imported from British Asia to feed the Italian soldiers

invading Eritrea in East Africa. Entering Africa in the east, rinderpestmoved west ‘like forest fire’, reaching Africa’s Atlantic coast in 1892.

It reached the Cape (Africa’s southernmost tip) five years later. Along

the way rinderpest killed 90 per cent of the cattle.

The loss of cattle destroyed African livelihoods. Planters, mine owners

and colonial governments now successfully monopolised what scarce

cattle resources remained, to strengthen their power and to forceAfricans into the labour market. Control over the scarce resource

of cattle enabled European colonisers to conquer and subdue Africa.