South Africa's New Imperialism

Paper Summary:

This paper details the impact of the British government's involvement in southern Africa during the phase of new imperialism between
1880-1900, in which various European governments began to scramble for land in the region. This paper explores Britain's interests in southern Africa, which were heightened with the discovery of prolific deposits of gold and diamonds. The writer discusses the lack of investment into the local economy which combined with a policy of black segregation and the enforced migration of labor, created a situation of devastating poverty among the black Africans. This paper paper also focuses on the segregation policies of the diamond mines which set a direct precedence for the establishment of the apartheid policy in the South African government.

From the Paper:

"An interesting feature of the diamond industry was the unmarketability of the gems. They were luxury items that held varying degrees of popularity in Europe at the time, and the responsibility for the successful sale of diamonds rested on the shoulders of London merchants. What resulted was an increased financial involvement between British businessmen at home and overseas, thus strengthening British private investments in the region. Politically, the British were unwilling to provide their annexed territories with ample governmental administration. Instead, they preferred to rely on the cooperation of the local white population."

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