Czela and blackirishboy both argue that prestige was important; it was especially important in Germany's case. The 1880s mark the beginning of the colonial period in African history. Berlin Conference Tasks The initial task of the conference was to agree that the Congo River and Niger River mouths and basins would be considered neutral and open to trade. In colonizing Africa, Germany (as well as other European states) established its own legitimacy. Its area was 994,996 km 2 (384,170 sq mi), nearly three times the size of Germany today. 2–3.Cf. The boldest among them argued that South-West Africa … Why did South Africa colonized Namibia? Why Did Europe Colonize Africa? B. Madley, ‘From Africa to Auschwitz: How German South-West Africa Incubated Ideas and Methods Adopted and Developed by the Nazis in Eastern Europe’, European History Quarterly, xxxiii (2005), pp. Both were a major source of unrest everywhere, and have been identified as a chief cause of the uprising in East Africa. S. Kuss, German Colonial Wars and the Context of Military Violence, tr. Towards the end of the 19 th century European countries such as England, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and Italy began colonizing Africa which became known as “The Scramble for Africa”. By 1916, only in remote jungle regions in East Africa did the German forces hold out. Some of the countries that were especially interested in Africa include Britain, France and Portugal. Germany did, in 1885. While Europeans and Africans had established relationships in a variety of settings for centuries, the 1880s mark a major turning point in European attitudes toward Africa. South Africa, which was a British colony, occupied Walvis Bay in 1878, and the rest of Namibia in 1915. German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now Burundi, Rwanda and Tanganyika (the mainland part of present Tanzania). Of these 14 nations, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal were the major players in the conference, controlling most of colonial Africa at the time. Countries like Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, other powers were losing money, and Africa appeared to be a way out of the depression. Some saw Germany's behavior in South-West Africa as a precursor of German actions in the Holocaust. As imperial Germany began creating an overseas empire in the late 19th century, many influential Germans sought to emulate the example of Great Britain, which had built its large and powerful empire in part by promoting the settlement of immigrants from the British Isles to British-controlled territories in other parts of the world, including East Africa and South Africa. A. Smith (Cambridge, MA, 2017), pp. These were colonies unsuccessfully settled by Brandenburg-Prussia (part of the Holy Roman Empire realm), after 1701 Kingdom of Prussia, before the foundation of the German Empire in 1871.. Africa. Probably the most important was economic as a depression was occurring in Europe. There were many reasons for the colonization of Africa, including economic, political, and religious motives. Instead, the rising power that was Germany saw Africa as a way to establish itself amongst the other European powers (France, Britain). Despite the negative effects suffered from colonization, overall African colonies benefited greatly and were positively influenced from German colonization. he colony came into existence during the 1880s and ended with Imperial Germany's defeat in World War I. To make money out of Africa, Europeans used its many raw goods. Europeans were interested in Africa because of the abundance of raw materials for industries, minerals, cheap labor and to expand their territories.