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From Berlin 1884 to 1989: Foreign Assistance and French, American, and Japanese Competition in Francophone Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2008

Peter J. Schraeder
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Extract

In October 1884, the major European colonial powers of the era were invited to a conference in Berlin by the German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck.1 The United States also attended the proceedings as an observer nation, and its representative, John A. Kasson, signed the Berlin Convention, one of the primary purposes of which was to regulate escalating imperial conflict by officially delineating the territorial boundaries of colonial possessions. Although warfare between colonial armies in Africa during World War I underscored the failure of negotiators to avoid yet another global military conflict, the Berlin conference none the less consecrated the creation of formal European empires and ‘spheres of interest’ throughout the continent. Except for the unique cases of Ethiopia and Liberia, independent Africa eventually ceased to exist.

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Articles
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , December 1995 , pp. 539 - 567
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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References

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3 According to Martin, Guy, ‘Francophone Africa in the Context of Franco-American Relations’, in Harbeson, John W. and Rothchild, Donald (eds.), Africa in World Politics: post-cold war challenges (Boulder, San Francisco, Oxford, 1995 edn.), p. 163, among other factors that make francophone Africa ‘unique and distinctive’ are: (i) ‘a common (French or Belgian) colonial experience’; (ii) ‘a broad cultural unity … resulting from a fusion of French and African cultures’; (iii) ‘a tradition of moderation and compromise arising out of a peaceful transfer of power at independence’; and (iv) ‘the perpetuation of Franco-African relations characterized by a pattern of continuing French political, economic, and cultural power and influence’.Google Scholar

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