The Hot Scramble for Africa

The 1884 Berlin Conference (Day 1)

A Quick Look at the Special Rules in Berlin Conference

In BC, delegates must think of which part of Africa their nation would want to colonize to meet the interest of their own country. Delegates should also consider what can be done when more than one country wants to put somewhere into their colonization scope.

The conference is planned to be held as below:

• Land A is somewhere in Africa. In the first condition: only one nation wants to draw land A into its territory. The nation gets land A directly.

• In the second condition: more than one nation wants to occupy land A. Then land A will be put into discussion to see how delegates will come up with a solution to it.

• In the third condition: No delegates want to occupy land A. Then land A will be set as a buffer zone on the first day. However, delegates can send amendments to keep the territory. The condition will be automatically changed to the first or the second one.

The Historic Journey Begins

As the reenactment of the Berlin conference of 1884 officially commenced, we could already sense each countries’ ambitious desire to take over sections of Africa and benefit themselves. At the beginning of the conference, the Dais team of BC again emphasized that collaboration is the least priority in such international arena and all that delegates have to concentrate on to the fullest is to view over their own interests.

After a short but joyful introduction of ROP and roll call, a fierce opening speech had followed. We could see clearly that many of the delegates had shown great intention and strongly expressed which part of Africa they would like to occupy.

Belgium stated that “This delegate is deeply convinced that we European countries have the obligation to colonize Africa and bring them civilization. Belgium is willing to support Africa with humanitarian assistance, scientific research and is open to any free trade. The delegate of Belgium intends to take over Congo to fulfill our needs and urges all European countries to make Africa great again.” In accordance with such statement, we could see that the mindset of Social Darwinism prevailed among these European states.

German Empire stated that “This delegate is actively working on a list of industrials such as synthetic dyes, textile and pharmaceuticals, etc. Therefore, the delegate of German Empire would like to occupy Cameroon, Namibia, Tanzania and Togo. Lastly, the Aspirin tree, which grows mostly in Rwanda, possesses the same treatment efficacy as Aspirin. Thus, the scramble for Rwanda is also in our request.” Judging from the above speech, we could assume that economic incentives such as natural resources and goods are the major concerns for most of the countries in Europe.

The Arrival of Scramble

Consequent to opening speech comes a sequence of unmoderated caucuses. Different representatives gathered together with a keen eye to exchange their mutual interests and ideas. However, as mentioned before, since cooperation is nearly dispensable in BC, preliminary blocs weren’t formed clearly then.

The first moderated caucus was proposed by the delegates of Netherlands which aimed at taking over Somalia, the eastern part of Africa, and even motioned for dividing it into three parts. A pretty debate had followed then. For instance, the delegate of Italy planned to develop nuclear power and since there are two islands around, he could take advantage of it and conduct ship trades to the Eastern Asia. The delegates of Denmark even claimed that they would like to establish an economic zone for all countries. In a nutshell, imperialism and national interests are the prime doctrines in the 1884 Berlin Conference and there are always unexpected variations regarding the countries’ positions.

What is worth mentioning in BC is that delegates are required to fully comprehend the geographic features of Africa and the regions where they intend to colonize. In the conference, a hand-drawn map of Africa was displayed clearly on the screen and would be revised whenever a country manages to control or divide certain parts of Africa. Therefore, delegates are able to keep abreast of the current circumstances in a clear manner.

All We See are Interest and Profit

After the lunch break came session two. The delegate of Italy raised a motion for discussing the control of Libya. Under a hot debate with regard to the issue, it turned out that Ottoman Empire seized the western coastline while Austria-Hungary took over the eastern coastline of Libya, then the delegate of Italy smoothly occupied the inland of this African country.

The debate intensified as the session proceeded and the atmosphere remained light-hearted yet vigorous.

Next, the delegate of Spain proposed a moderated caucus discussing the control of another significant region in Africa, Tunisia. Nonetheless, France resolutely asserted that they own Tunisia since 1881 which then aroused dissent and debates. Still another motion raised by the delegate of the United Kingdom aimed at taking over four eastern Africa regions like Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. Belgium even proposed a route across Congo, Malawi, and Zimbabwe for the purpose of free trade! From the above instances, we could draw a short conclusion that the delegates in BC were fervent in seeking their best benefits and spared no effort in the scramble for Africa.

Negotiation or plot? Alliance or rivalry?

Following a short but relaxing break ushered in session 3, desire and zeal for territory expansion and economic exploitation never faded in BC. At the beginning of the conference, the delegate of Italy proposed a moderated caucus discussing the control of Eritrea and Ethiopia. However, it was believed that Ethiopia was a Christian country and remained independent during the 1884 Berlin Conference and the Scramble for Africa. How to recreate the history is of paramount importance in this conference. After a fabulous debate, here came the result. To everyone’s greatest surprise, Austria-Hungary took over the control of Eritrea while both Italy and Ottoman Empire cooperated to occupy Ethiopia.

The delegate of the United Kingdom continued to propose a motion regarding South Africa and its surrounding states (Lesotho, Eswatini, and Botswana) and even free trade. The delegate of Denmark responded to the issue in a positive way and claimed that they were willing to collaborate with the UK. The delegate of German Empire also expressed their agreement to England’s proposal and affirmed that they would not harm English profits once they both occupied South Africa and its surroundings. Following the delegate of Portugal succeeded in taking over Angola while Belgium, Russia, and Sweden worked together tightly to occupy Cabinda.

From such scenes, we could see clearly that some cooperation had been made in Berlin Conference in order to meet mutual countries' needs! Still, there are lots of variations remaining and awaiting delegates to deal with.

The conference will continue to proceed, and more fascinating information will be provided tomorrow.