factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria

Agents also collected intelligence for the colonial officials; they gathered information on public opinion and the military resources of the local polities; they also spied on rival colonial forces in foreign territories. 12 tribes of israel family tree; why did poseidon often adopt the shape of a steed. In the south, by contrast, traditional rulers were employed as vehicles of indirect rule in Edoland and Yorubaland, but Christianity and Western education undermined their sacerdotal functions. [67], This system, in which the structure of authority focused on the emir to whom obedience was a mark of religious devotion, did not welcome change. French in West Africa - University of Pennsylvania 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. He was aware that the Muslim north would present problems, but he had hopes for progress along the lines which he laid down in the south, where he anticipated "general emancipation" leading to a more representative form of government. . [51], Guidelines for running the Nigerian colony were established in 1898 by the Niger Committee, chaired by the Earl of Selborne, in 1898. The Lander brothers were seized by slave traders in the interior and sold down the river to a waiting European ship. God, Gold, and Glory. Doctrine of Lapse. Although his own ambitions were limited to the Northern Region, Bello backed the NPC's successful efforts to mobilize the north's large voting strength so as to win control of the national government. In 1912, Lugard returned to Nigeria from his six-year term as Governor of Hong Kong, to oversee the merger of the northern and southern protectorates. That's human geography 101. The war years brought a polarization between the older, more parochial leaders inclined toward gradualism and the younger intellectuals, who thought in more immediate terms. with the Norman Conquest led by William, the Duke of Normandy. [54] Olivier was a member of the Fabian Society and a friend of George Bernard Shaw. [11][12], The amalgamation of different ethnic and religious groups into one federation created internal tension which persists in Nigeria to the present day.[13]. However, development of the Nigerian oilfields slowed when Bergheim died in a car crash in September 1912. From there, the strategy to conquer the additional portions of what would be Nigeria was planned and executed until nearly all of what is today Nigeria was under British control in 1905. The early Nigerian nationalist did not seek independence. Herbert Richmond Palmer developed details of this model from 1906 to 1911 as the Governor of Northern Nigeria after Lugard.[66]. [32] This included a river fleet which it used for retaliatory attacks on uncooperative villages. The British targeted Nigeria because of its resources. Europeans, with an eye to colonization and conquest, restricted the sale of the new weaponry to Africa maintaining military superiority. In the Northern Cameroons, however, the largely Muslim electorate chose to merge with Nigeria's Northern Region. The factors that led to the colonization of africa by the europeans. The huge African continent (three times the size of the continental United States) was particularly vulnerable to European conquest. According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Voyage Database, 308,800 were sold across the Atlantic from Lagos in 17761850. [65], Half of all taxes went to the colonial government and half went to the Native Treasury. [49], Concrete plans for transition to Crown ruledirect control by the British Governmentapparently began in 1897. The Crusades and the Reconquista cemented religious intolerance, and the Christians looked to colonization partly as a means of continuing religious conquests. The war also made the British reappraise Nigeria's political future. ", Tamuno, T. N. (1970). Great Britain was the leaders at this time in colonizing the land filled with rich natural recourses. He also led the Nigerian National Democratic Party, which dominated elections in Lagos from its founding in 1922 until the ascendancy of the National Youth Movement in 1938. In April 1927, the British colonial government in Nigeria took measures to enforce the Native Revenue (Amendment) Ordinance. Open Document. Rivalry between the Royal Niger Company and the Lagos Protectorate over the boundary between the emirate of Ilorin and the empire of Ibadan was resolved with the abrogation of the charter of the Royal Niger Company on January 1, 1900, in return for wide mineral concessions. By a British Act of Parliament, Nigeria became independent on 1 October 1960. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1921. In 1957, the Western and the Eastern regions became formally self-governing under the parliamentary system. Facebook Instagram Email. [11] [12] Lugard informed the leaders of conquered Sokoto: The Fulani in old times [] conquered this country. Following the defeat of an unsuccessful foray by Consul General James R. Phillips, a larger retaliatory force captured Benin City and drove Ovonramwen, the Oba of Benin, into exile. Wartime experiences provided a new frame of reference for many soldiers, who interacted across ethnic boundaries in ways that were unusual in Nigeria. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They selected an increasingly high proportion of African clergy for the missions. The British penetration of Nigeria met with various forms of resistance throughout the country. It was suspended in 1950 against a call for greater autonomy, which resulted in an inter-parliamentary conference at Ibadan in 1950. Spain was driven by three main motivations. It is still felt 56 years after it was officially announced death. Beecroft was the British representative to Fernando Po, where the African Slave Trade Patrol of the Royal Navy was stationed. This scheme proved unpopular and confusing to many involved parties and was phased out. On 9 May 1913, Lugard submitted a formal proposal to the Colonial Office in which Northern and Southern provinces would have separate administrations, under the control of a "strongly authoritarian" Governor-General. The traders suffered from the risks of their position and believed they were at the mercy of the coastal rulers, whom they considered unpredictable. A chief of Bonny in 1860 explained that he refused a British treaty due to the tendency to "induce the Chiefs to sign a treaty whose meaning they did not understand, and then seize upon the country".[14]. The British colonization of Kenya destroyed the culture and economy of the native people, but it established a democratic government and left Kenya a more modernized country. The first missions were opened by the Church of England's Church Missionary Society (CMS). [18], In 1807, the Parliament of the United Kingdom enacted the Slave Trade Act, prohibiting British subjects from participating in the Atlantic slave trade. Oil income was still marginal, but the prospects for continued economic expansion appeared bright and accentuated political rivalries on the eve of independence. Alan Lennox-Boyd, M.P., the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. Both Africans and Europeans found illegal supplies such as secret stills, obtaining colonial liquor permits, and smuggling. [72] In the south, he saw the possibility of building an elite educated in schools modelled on a European method (and numerous elite children attended high-ranking colleges in Britain during the colonial years). Their common denominators tended to be based on newly assertive ethnic consciousness, particularly that of the Yoruba and Igbo. In 1851 deposed king Akintoye of Lagos sought British help in restoring him to the throne. Clifford also believed that indirect rule encouraged centripetal tendencies. There were three main factors that contributed to the European colonization Africa which were, political, social, and economic. From Conquest to Independence: the Nigerian Colonial Experience The pulpits of the independent congregations became avenues for the free expression of critics of colonial rule. [31], In 1891, the consulate established the Niger Coast Protectorate Force or "Oil Rivers Irregulars".[32]. In some cases, British assignment of people to ethnic groups, and treatment based along ethnic lines, led to identification with ethnicity where none had existed before.[84]. The trend was toward the establishment of a parliamentary system of government, with regional assemblies and a federal House of Representatives. France sold Louisiana to the United States in 1803, the same year that it gave up on trying to regain Saint-Domingue from the Haitian Revolution. One of the most effective tactics, the British used to take over most of India. Most accounts of Nigeria's colonisation were written by British officials, presenting it as a noble civilising mission to rid Africans of barbaric superstition and corrupt tribal leadership. British staffs in each region continued to operate according to procedures developed before unification. The approaches of the two men to colonial development were diametrically opposed. It represented a substantial element of reformism in the North. To some extent, competition amongst these companies undermined their collective position vis--vis, local merchants. "The agents performed similar but more expansive roles as their Company counterparts. What Were the Effects of the British Taking Over Africa? - The Classroom Afeadie, Philip Atsu. Elections were held for a new and greatly enlarged House of Representatives in December 1959; 174 of the 312 seats were allocated to the Northern Region on the basis of its larger population. In time they captured Oba Ovonramwen and sent him into exile to Calabar, a town east of Benin. Islam reached Nigeria through the Bornu Empire . 1819 - Singapore founded by Sir Stamford Raffles. L'indpendance du. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria The council was headed by a Governor. The transfer of responsibility for budgetary management from the central to the regional governments in 1954 accelerated the pace of public spending on services and on development projects. Nigerian students abroad, particularly at British schools, joined those from other colonies in pan-African groups such as the West African Students Union, founded in London in 1925. They received attention from major parties before elections, at which time either a dominant party from another region or the opposition party in their region sought their alliance. Summary of course material Economic freedom in Muslim countries an SLAVE TRADE - Central Connecticut State University In elections that year, the NYM ended the domination of the NNDP in the Legislative Council and worked to establish a national network of affiliates. "John Beecroft, 17901854: Her Brittanic Majesty's Consul to the Bights of Benin and Biafra 18491854". Free shipping for many products! Additionally. Summarizing Indirect Rule in Nigeria | West-African Colonial Administration The Delta streams were called "oil rivers". By the 1870s the Niger trade was becoming profitable, and a few French companies took notice. These included the decline of the Mughal Empire. 11 Effects Of Colonialism In Nigeria - Information Guide in Nigeria The Governor-General represented the British monarch as head of state and was appointed by the Crown on the advice of the Nigerian prime minister in consultation with the regional premiers. The Governor was, in effect, the coordinator for virtually autonomous entities that had overlapping economic interests but little in common politically or socially. Lagos became a major slave port in the late 1700s and into the 1850s. The British led a series of military campaigns to enlarge its sphere of influence and expand its commercial opportunities. A revelatory account of British imperialism's shameful impact on Africa's most populous state. The NPC continued to represent the interests of the traditional order in the pre-independence deliberations. [46] Lugard was slow to describe these excursions to the Colonial Office, which apparently learned of preparations to attack Kano from the newspapers in December 1902. History of Colonization in Africa | How Africa News His political platform called for economic and educational development, Africanization of the civil service, and self-government for Lagos. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria The kingdom of Benin began in the 900s when the Edo people settled in the rainforests of West Africa. The Deputy Governor served as political administrator for company territory and appointed three officials in Nigeria to carry out the work of administration. The history of Nigeria can be traced to the earliest inhabitants whose remains date from at least 13,000 BC through early civilizations such as the Nok culture which began around 1500 BC.Numerous ancient African civilizations settled in the region that is known today as Nigeria, such as the Kingdom of Nri, the Benin Empire, and the Oyo Empire. The CMS initially promoted Africans to responsible positions in the mission field; for instance, they appointed Samuel Ajayi Crowther as the first Anglican Bishop of the Niger. The French had abolished slavery following the French Revolution, although it briefly re-established it in its Caribbean colonies under Napoleon. The departure of Azikiwe and other Igbo members of the NYM left the organisation in Yoruba hands. History of the British Takeover of Nigeria - U.OSU Independent Christian churches had emerged at the end of the nineteenth century. In the north, appeals to Islamic legitimacy upheld the rule of the emirs, so that nationalist sentiments were related to Islamic ideals. To reduce costs, Lagos was administered first from Freetown in Sierra Leone, along with Gold Coast forts such as Elmina, and later from Accra (in present-day Ghana); only in 1886 did Lagos become a separate colony. He aroused political awareness through his newspaper, the Lagos Daily News. It is not a unitary state with local government areas but with one Central Executive and one Legislature. Some were deposed, some were defeated in battle, and others collaborated. In the north many emirates did not take military action, but the deposed caliph, Atahiru I, rebelled in 1903. The Anglicans and other religious groups had a conscious "native church" policy to develop indigenous ecclesiastical institutions to become independent of Europeans. . Catholic missionaries were particularly active among the Igbo; the CMS worked among the Yoruba. [11] In 1891, the African Banking Corporation founded the Bank of British West Africa in Lagos.[33]. The company interfered in the territory along the Niger and the Benue, sometimes becoming embroiled in serious conflicts when its British-led native constabulary intercepted slave raids or attempted to protect trade routes. The influence of Christianity and the establishment of schools made the nationalists realize that after all God created everyman equal . It was colonized by the British in 1884 and the colony is established at the Berlin conference which divides Africa by European powers. [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. Instead, the companies had to be content with a monopoly of the export trade in these products. [61], The task of unification was achieved on the eve of World War I. Early nationalists tended to ignore Nigeria as the focus of patriotism. After the Berlin Conference of 1884, Britain announced the formation of the Oil Rivers Protectorate, which included the Niger Delta and extended eastward to Calabar, where the British Consulate General was relocated from Fernando Po. The British Conquest and Resistance of Sokoto Caliphate, 18971903 What Britain Did to Nigeria | Hurst Publishers These schools would teach "the basic principles that would and should regulate character and conduct". [67], The Colonial Office, where Lugard was still held in high regard, accepted that changes might be due in the south, but it forbade fundamental alteration of procedures in the north. These include the fact that military conscription (draft) of numerous African colonial subjects into European armies generated great amounts of anger. One place that felt victim to this imperialism was Africa. [11], By the 1880s, the National African Company became the dominant commercial power, increasing from 19 to 39 stations between 1882 and 1893. Critics, including representatives of the Middle Belt who resented Muslim domination, were relegated to small, peripheral parties or to inconsequential separatist movements.[85]. The so-called Macpherson Constitution, after the incumbent Governor-General John Stuart Macpherson, went into effect the following year. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria In the early stages of British rule, it is desirable to retain the native authority and to work through and by the native emirs. The British captured Kano in 1903. It was British colonialism which was the ultimate cause of the war . The NPC federal parliamentary leader, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, was appointed Prime Minister of Nigeria. By demonstrating the heavy reliance on West African soldiers for the 'European' conduct of the Great War campaign in the region, it shows how West Africans helped determine the outcome of war in the region. What Were Reasons for European Exploration of the Americas? The militias and RWAFF battalions were reorganized into the RWAFF Nigeria Regiment.[62]. The mud-walled city of Kano was captured in February, and, after a vigorous skirmish at Kotorkwashi, the sultan's capital, Sokoto, fell the next month. The company's major imports to the area included gin and low-quality firearms. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1315. Some European traders switched to legitimate business only when the commerce in slaves became too hazardous. The cleavage between the Yoruba and the Igbo was accentuated by their competition for control of the political machinery. The emirs retained their caliphate titles but were responsible to British district officers, who had final authority. Because of the hazards of climate and tropical diseases for Europeans and the absence of any centralized authorities on the mainland responsive to their interests, European merchants moored their ships outside harbours or in the delta, and used the ships as trading stations and warehouses. Columbus, in his voyage, sought fame and fortune, as did his Spanish sponsors. Although the capital was not moved, Lugard's bias in favour of the Muslim north was clear at the time. The experiment began in 1890 and was repealed in 1939,[71]. Imperialism and the Conquest and Colonization of Africa by Europeans The Niger Delta and Calabar, which once had been known for the export of slaves, became notable for the export of palm oil. A spokeswoman for Austria's Weltmuseum Wien acknowledges 13 of its 173 Benin Bronzes "have been linked definitively to the British invasion" though eight were acquired in the 16th century . Although this trade grew to significant proportionspalm oil exports alone were worth 1 billion a year by 1840it was concentrated near the coast, where palm trees grew in abundance. They took the right to rule over it, to levy taxes, to depose kings and to create kings. [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. Other Protestant denominations from Great Britain, Canada, and the United States also opened missions and, in the 1860s, Roman Catholic religious orders established missions. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria. [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. When Faidherbe and his successors proceeded with their conquest of the hinterlands they met with strong and sustained resistance from a number of sources including the Moors, the Toucouleur Empire of Segou under Al Hajj Umar and the powerful Almamy . Local rulers continued to administer their territories, but consular authorities assumed jurisdiction for the equity courts established earlier by the foreign mercantile communities. In November 1908, Bergheim reported striking oil; in September 1909, he reported extracting 2,000 barrels per day. In Europe, Britain sent troops to help its ally, Prussia, which was surrounded by its enemies. Its activist membership was drawn from local government and emirate officials who had access to means of communication and to repressive traditional authority that could keep the opposition in line. British Colonizing in Nigeria. Similar status was acquired by the Northern Region two years later. [38][39], In 1892 the British Armed Forces set out to fight the Ijebu Kingdom, which had resisted missionaries and foreign traders.

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