As political and industrial revolution scoured across Europe in the 19th century, governments and businesses began to take a particular interest in a continent of Africa. Due to the challenges it presented in previous centuries, it was not susceptible to imperial conquest similar to the Western Hemisphere in the 16th century. With the outset of the Industrial Revolution, along with its subsequent aspiration for raw materials and potential markets, a new set of motivations helped shape the dispute whether or not to make a presence in Africa. From economic gain, to building a sense of national honor and pride, European powers consumed the continent below them with a mentality that only the “survival of the fittest” being able to prevail. …show more content…
Prince Leopold, conversing with another noted that all the unappropriated lands on the surface of the globe may become the field of our operations and of our resources. He justifies such acquisitions by stating that he, representing Belgium, the universe lies in front of us; steam and electricity have made distances disappear. Being heir to the throne of Belgium, it is no shock that Prince Leopold supported imperialism since he wanted to gain unoccupied land to make Belgium's economy flourish.(doc.1) Other people like Joseph Chamberlain, a British industrialist and politician, were inspired to go to Africa to gain new raw materials and new markets to increase their gains industrially. In his speech he states that if the British want to prosper it would depend on imperialism, or at least half the population would be starved. Even though the economic markets never really took off concerning economic benefits, it was the potential that encouraged him, as well as others, to pursue colonies to ensure economic prosperity. As a British industrialist, Chamberlain would have naturally supported imperialism since he probably stood to gain economically from the continued growth of the British …show more content…
Archibald Primrose, Lord Rosebery, a British politician and foreign secretary is writing a letter stating that people who seem to be the fittest of health and mind-wise, as well as, other things will survive and prevail above the weaker people in the world. Primrose was using Darwin’s method of whoever is evolving should be the one to rise above the rest and can overcome many other obstacles. That could be justified by an empire such as ours requires as its first condition an imperial race-a race vigorousand industrious and intrepid. The survival of the fittest is an absolute truth in the conditions of the modern world. Since Archibald Primrose is writing a letter, it can be inferred that he is being honest. Also since he was writing a letter to a newspaper, which was obviously a public forum; therefore, this letter could be regarded as a form of propaganda.(doc.8) The British were not the only ones thinking that the strongest shall survive. A general of the French Equatorial Africa, Martial Henri Merlin, states that we are entitled to go out to these peoples and occupy their territories. He justified this statement by affirming that we went there by virtue of the right of a civilized, a fully developed race to occupy territories which have been left fallow by backward peoples who are plunged into