By 1938 the NYM was agitating for dominion status within the British Commonwealth of Nations so that Nigeria would have the same status as Canada and Australia. [37] Economically, local colonial administrators also pushed for the imposition of British colonial rule, believing that trade and taxation conducted in British pounds would prove far more lucrative than a barter trade which yielded only inconsistent customs duties. British colonialism destroyed the Ndebele state at the end of the nineteenth century. In one year, Lugard recruited 2600 troops, evenly split between Hausa and Yoruba. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria. [35] However, the company did accept that local kings could act as partners in governance and trade. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria Order. England would forever be changed politically, economically, and socially as a result. It is not a federal state with federal Executive, Legislature and finances, like the Leewards. Similar status was acquired by the Northern Region two years later. Far from that, NEPU political struggles transformed the Nigerian Independence struggle from the fight against the British to a fight against both the British and the local agents of the British (the Aristocracy). Most of the fighting was done by Hausa soldiers, recruited to fight against other groups. At first, they lived in small family groups, but gradually these groups developed into a. In the 1870s, therefore, George Taubman Goldie began amalgamating companies into the United African Company, soon renamed the National African Company. [72] In line with this attitude, he rejected Lugard's proposal for moving the capital from Lagos, the stronghold of the elite in whom he placed so much confidence for the future. The British encouraged this secession, worsening the war even further. [11], Britain's imperialistic posture became more aggressive towards the end of the century. The Factors That Led to the Colonization of Africa by the Europeans In 1805, he set out on a second expedition, sponsored by the British Government, to follow the Niger to the sea. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1921. Initial British attempts to open trade with the interior by way of the Niger could not overcome climate and diseases such as malaria. 11 Effects Of Colonialism In Nigeria - Information Guide in Nigeria Read published a Memorandum on British possessions in West Africa, which remarked upon the "inconvenient and unscientific boundaries" between Lagos Colony, the Niger Coast Protectorate and the Royal Niger Company. The history of external colonisation of Africa can be divided into two stages: Classical antiquity and European colonialism. As a further step toward independence, the Governor's Executive Council was merged with the Council of Ministers in 1957 to form the all-Nigerian Federal Executive Council. September 1996. Gradually, however, the trade forced major economic and social changes in the interior, although it hardly undermined slavery and the slave trade. A.J. [74] The disease first found its home among the many trading ports along the West African coast. [22] Many locals remained unconvinced of the Crown's authority to completely reverse the legal and moral attributes of a social institution through fiat. Other firms applying for licenses were rejected. Motivation for European conquest of the New World ", Tamuno, T. N. (1970). At the turn of the century, top wages were four bags of salt (company retail price, 3s 9d) for a month of work. Although realistic in its assessment of the situation in Nigeria, the Richards Constitution undoubtedly intensified regionalism as an alternative to political unification. History of Nigeria - Wikipedia To . The most important innovations in the new charter reinforced the dual course of constitutional evolution, allowing for both regional autonomy and federal union. The early history of Lagos Colony was one of repeated attempts to end the Yoruba wars. Village Heads were paid 10 shillings for conscripts, and fined 50 if they failed to supply. By the eighteenth century, evidence of Christianity had disappeared. In the 1700s, the British Empire and other European powers had settlements and forts in West Africa but had not yet established the full-scale plantation colonies which existed in the Americas. [19], The company considered itself the sole legitimate government of the area, with executive, legislative and judicial powers all subordinate to the rule of a council created by the company board of directors in London. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria The boundaries of the two protectorates and the territories of the Royal Niger Company were difficult to define, but the tension was eased in 1894 when both entities were merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate. [29] His servant, Richard Lander, and Lander's brother John were the ones to demonstrate that the Niger flowed into the sea. [52], The territory of the Royal Niger Company became the Northern Nigeria Protectorate, and the Company itself became a private corporation which continued to do business in Nigeria. It was suspended in 1950 against a call for greater autonomy, which resulted in an inter-parliamentary conference at Ibadan in 1950. The search for oil, begun in 1908 and abandoned a few years later, was revived in 1937 by Shell and British Petroleum. In 1916 Lugard formed the Nigerian Council, a consultative body that brought together six traditional rulersincluding the Sultan of Sokoto, the Emir of Kano and the Oba of Beninto represent all parts of the colony. History of Colonization in Africa | How Africa News Thus Spain and Portugal set up colonies in Central and South America after it was discovered by Columbus. In 1920, portions of former German Cameroon were mandated to Britain by the League of Nations and were administered as part of Nigeria. [64], Each region also had a Native Administration, staffed by locals, and possessing a Native Treasury. The superior weapons, tactics and political unity of the British are commonly given as reasons for their decisive ultimate victory. French Roman Catholic missionaries, established in Ouidah (Whydah), arrived in Lagos and considered missionary work on the Niger. The British also created "divide and rule" policies, pitting Hindu and Muslim Indians against one another. Hence, precolonial level of development is positively asso-ciated with level of Spanish colonialism, but negatively associated with level of British colonialism. PhD dissertation accepted at the Graduate Programme in History, York University, Ontario. Support for broad Nigerian concerns occupied a clear second place. [45], A campaign against the Sokoto Caliphate began in 1900 with the creation of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria, under the direction of Governor Lugard. Goods were made available on credit to African middlemen, who were expected to trade them at a pre-arranged price and deliver the proceeds to the company. The NPC platform emphasized the integrity of the north, its traditions, religion and social order. [56], Walter Egerton's sixfold agenda for 1908, as detailed on 29 November 1907, in a telegram to the Colonial Office, is representative of British priorities. Du Bois. Causes Of European Colonization In Africa | ipl.org Ken Swindell, "The Commercial Development of the North: Company and Government Relations, 19001906". In the 1850s, quinine had been found to combat malaria, and aided by the medicine, a Liverpool merchant, Macgregor Laird, opened the river. "John Beecroft, 17901854: Her Brittanic Majesty's Consul to the Bights of Benin and Biafra 18491854". Africans come from Africa. Quiz. oriented. Egypt) and titles (e.g. Military Conquest. 2. They were instrumental in the development of government diplomacy with the traditional rulers; they spread government propaganda among the indigenous people; and they assisted colonial officials in parleying with native forces at war with government troops. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria Its effects are still widely felt up till today. Their forces, which were drawn from hundreds of Igbo youth from all parts of the region, created many problems for the British, but the British used forceful tactics and heavy armaments (destroying homes, farms, and roads) to prevail. [19] Although the Ijebu had some weapons they were wiped out by British Maxims, the earliest machine gun. [21], Whether British conquest of Nigeria resulted from a benevolent motive to end slavery or more instrumental motives of wealth and power, remains a topic of dispute between African and European historians. While they all shared a desire for wealth and power, their motivations for colonization differed somewhat, and thus the pattern and success of their colonies varied significantly. In Europe, Britain sent troops to help its ally, Prussia, which was surrounded by its enemies. The militias and RWAFF battalions were reorganized into the RWAFF Nigeria Regiment.[62]. [12] Trade was also conducted through a mechanism of barter and credit. [73], Africa as a whole was hit by three waves of H1N1 influenza A, the first and second would be the most deadly for the colony of Nigeria. During World War II, three battalions of the Nigeria Regiment fought against Fascist Italy in the Ethiopian campaign. The British were not yet willing to assume the expense of maintaining an administration in Nigeria. In February 1961, a plebiscite was conducted to determine the disposition of the Southern Cameroons and Northern Cameroons, which were administered by Britain as United Nations Trust Territories. Colonial official A. J. Harding commented in 1913: Sir F. Lugard's proposal contemplates a state which it is impossible to classify. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-factors-that-led-to-the-colonization-of-africa-by-the-europeans-PLa41Sz5 Be sure to capitalize proper nouns (e.g. They had obtained the assent of the emirs to form a political party to counterbalance the activities of the southern-based parties. Exploration was intensified in 1946, but the first commercial discovery did not occur until 1956, at Olobiri in the Niger Delta. The kingdom of Benin began in the 900s when the Edo people settled in the rainforests of West Africa. THE FULANI CONQUEST AND RULE OF THE HAUSA KINGDOM 235 from 1804, the date of the Hegira. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1719. What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Short History of Conquest and Rule by Max Siollun Hurst, 20, 408 pages Join our online book group on Facebook at FT Books Caf Letter in response to this article: The large companies that subsequently opened depots in the delta cities and in Lagos were as ruthlessly competitive as the delta towns themselves and frequently used force to compel potential suppliers to agree to contracts and to meet their demands. In 1890, a group of adventurers known as the Pioneer Column, sponsored by South African-based British arch-imperialist Cecil John Rhodes, occupied Zimbabwe and claimed the country for the British. The emirs gave support to limited modernization largely from fears of the unsettling presence of southerners in the north, and by observing the improvements in living conditions in the South. ", Helen Chapin Metz, ed. The Royal Navy bombarded Lagos in November 1851, ousted the pro-slavery Oba Kosoko and established a treaty with the newly installed Oba Akintoye, who was expectedly more amenable to British interests. The British Conquest State (Chapter 3) - A History of Zimbabwe Open Document. In 1950 Aminu Kano, who had been instrumental in founding the NPC, broke away to form the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), in protest against the NPC's limited objectives and what he regarded as a vain hope that traditional rulers would accept modernization. Consequently, he may well deserve the epithet of the "father of Nigeria", which historians accorded him. The economy suffered from the decline in the slave trade, although considerable smuggling of slaves to the Americas continued for years afterward. Segments of the Yoruba community had their own animosities and new rivalries arose. The Norman conquest in 1066 was the last successful conquest of England. [19][41], In 18961897 the forces of the Niger Coast Protectorate fought with the remnants of the Edo Empire. Lagos was annexed as a Crown Colony in 1861 via the Lagos Treaty of Cession.[30]. Ouidah (now part of Benin) and Lagos were the major ports on the coast. 1839 - The Opium Wars between China and Britain, resulting from the trade of opium leading to widespread addictions. One of the factors that contributed to the success of indirect rule in Northern Nigeria was the use of the existing traditional system of administration. A third type of organisation that was more pointedly political was the youth or student group, which became the vehicle of intellectuals and professionals. The Industrial Revolution was a period of scientific and technological development in the 18th century that transformed largely rural, agrarian societiesespecially in Europe and North America . [11], By the 1880s, the National African Company became the dominant commercial power, increasing from 19 to 39 stations between 1882 and 1893.