How did the Berlin Conference of 1884 cause conflicts in Africa that continue to the modern day?

Question

A.
The conference encouraged rapid industrialization, which led to famine as many Africans stopped farming.

B.
The conference created economic barriers to trade, which hurt African countries' abilities to import goods.

C.
The conference allowed Europeans to sell weapons to African countries, leading to an arms race on the continent.

D.
The conference ignored existing boundaries when creating colonies, leading to territorial disputes after decolonization.

Answer 1

The correct answer is D. The conference ignored existing boundaries when creating colonies, leading to territorial disputes after decolonization.

The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 regulated European colonization and trade in Africa and established the rules for the colonization process. It did not take into consideration the existing ethnic, cultural, and political boundaries among African peoples. As a result, the arbitrary divisions made by European powers often grouped rival ethnic groups together or split up cohesive communities, leading to conflicts. After decolonization, many of these artificially drawn borders remained, causing ongoing territorial disputes, civil wars, and ethnic tensions in various African nations that continue to affect the continent today.