Description
The scramble for Africa astonished everyone. In 1880 most of the continent was still ruled by Africans and barely explored. By 1902, five European Powers had grabbed almost the whole continent, giving themselves 30 new colonies and protectorates and 10 million square miles of land. The inspiration came from the heroic death in 1873 of the missionary-explorer, David Linvingstone. He had exposed the horrors of the slave trade still in progress. His call for Africa to be redeemed by the three "C"s - commerce, Christianity and civilisation - was aimed at the conscience of the civilized world. The response came from rival colonial enthusiasts in Europe. There were journalist-explorers like Henry Stanley, sailor-explorers like Pierre de Brazza (who gave his name to Brazzaville and its beach) and gold and diamond tycoons like Cecil Rhodes. As the race gathered momentum, a fourth "C" - Conquest - became dominant. The Maxim gun, not trade or the cross, became the symbol of the age. In many colonies atrocities were commonplace. This is the history of this episode. The author also wrote "The Boer War". This book is the winner of the W.H. Smith Literary Award.
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