Berlin Africa Conference 1884-85
Wilhelmstrasse in central Berlin was the home of the Chancellor of Germany, which during 1884-85, at the time of the Berlin Africa conference, was Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck along with multiple other political leaders from France, Italy, the United Kingdom as well as many others gathered on November 15th to discuss the colonization of Africa. This conference was held without a single political member from Africa. This resulted in dividing up Africa arbitrarily between the attending countries, with the mission of greater resource accessibility along with a free trade agreement among colonies, thereby furthering their economic wealth. These boundaries were somewhat confusing since they took very little consideration of ethnic or religious groups in these African states.
Stelios Michalopoulos and Elias Papaioannou with “The Long-Run Effects of Scramble for Africa” discuss the long term effects of the colonization of Africa. Such effects are still felt by the African people to this day, with a majority of these issues relating to civil conflict. Analyzing data from these conflicts data back to the Berlin conference clearly lead Michalopoulos and Papaioannou to believe there is a correlation. The data explains that of the 843 tribes, 608 suffered one or more civil wars, making it very difficult for the countries to develop at a sustainable rate. Ultimately the Berlin Conference held over 100 years prior has affected the economic well being of the African people, with the careless division of states resulting in a large number of civil incidence. These effects are still currently felt in Africa and will continue to be for years to come. 
3 comments:
Do you believe there is any way to rectify the problems that were created from the Berlin Conference?
It is a long road to African countries stabilizing their economies and moving into the development stage, with many regions being nearly impossible for trade or travel. There are a few prospects emerging though, with some suggesting South Africa is moving towards Development with its world leading stance on gay rights, and its GDP growth in recent years has grown rapidly. Ultimately only time will tell and the story for one country in Africa does not suggest the necessary solution for another.
I'd have to argue though that South Africa was not affected as much as the rest of the continent. If you look at the image, the very tip of Africa, which we now know as South Africa, is relatively unchanged. Could this be the reason for it's development?
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