The determination set forth by the Europeans would worry smaller countries. No one wanted to have to give up their …show more content…
During the outbreak of imperialism, Africa was a hot spot for imperialists. The European nations wanted more land, and also at the time there was a major discovery of gold and diamonds. The Congo had also sparked interest to the European nations. After the Berlin Conference and the division of Africa, the newly divided colonies became hard to control. Africans would begin putting up large amounts of resistance towards imperialists. Sadly, for Nigeria, African resistance was unsuccessful, other African colonies shared the same fate. African colonies would not give up, Ethiopia became the only successful Africa nation to resist the Europeans. The victory was guided by Menelik II. In 1889, he became the emperor of Ethiopia. He won by putting the French, British, and Italians against each other. While they fought against each other, he created and bought large amounts of arsenal and weapons. After a short time, he signed a treaty with the Italians. However, he believed that he had been tricked into giving up a tiny portion of the Ethiopia land. Menelik II declared war against the Italians. During the Battle of Adowa, the Ethiopian forces defeated the Italians. After defeating the Italians, Menelik II proceeded to add more arsenal and weapons in case it were to happen again. Menelik II wanted to remain independent; however, he also wanted to modernize for the the good of his …show more content…
The Ottoman Empire had a lot of geopolitical issues. Many nations wanted the Ottoman land, it was a dying empire and everyone was fighting for it. Many nations wanted control over the Mediterranean and Atlantic sea trade, this would surely be fought over. Another example was the Crimean War. Russians had declared war on the Ottoman Empire because it had wanted control over the land surrounding the Black Sea. Another Muslim land that was fought over was India. India was wanted for their riches, they were said to be England's most profitable colonies. Many Muslim decided that they would need to modernize or they would be consumed by it. As modernization came to Egypt, an new leader emerged. Muhammad Ali rose in power and became an Egyptian leader. Muhammad Ali escaped the control of the Ottoman Empire and fought in many battles. Through these battles he gained control of Syria and Arabia. He was the praised as a ruler of Egypt. He began a series of military reforms. Muhammad Ali also personally directed the plantation of the cash crop cotton. In doing so, it brought Egypt into the international marketplace. Muhammad Ali's modernization was continued by his grandson Isma'il. Isma'il supported the construction of the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal became known as the "Lifeline of the Empire". As you can see, Muhammad Ali made it his goal to modernize for the benefit of his people. He