Question

For this option, you will choose 1 of the maritime/land empires who actually took over large parts of Africa and ruled them. Choose from:

Germany
Great Britain
France
Spain
Belgium
Italy
Portugal
Once you choose which country you will be for the game, make note of it because you will need it for the reflection you will be turning in.

Next, look at the map below to determine what valuable resources you will go after:




There will be 4 total rounds of this game that are played at the end of one of our class-wide Live Lessons (so be prepared)... and don’t worry I will go back over these instructions in class:

Each Round Instructions

Round 1—Choose 2 colonies

For this round, you will choose 2 colonies (you will have to say in which country and make note as you will use this in your reflection you will be turning in later).. It takes 3 colonies to gain full control over an entire country.

You will gain access to whatever natural resource is in this country. The amount depends on how many colonies you have in said country:

1 colony– 1 share of the resource

2 colonies–2 shares of the resource

3 colonies (and control of the country)- unlimited resources



Round 2–Choose 2 colonies or go to war against another country

For this round, you will choose 2 colonies (you will have to say in which country and make note as you will use this in your reflection you will be turning in later).. It takes 3 colonies to gain full control over an entire country.

If you want a colony in a country that another imperial power already has 1 or 2 colonies in, but not full control, you can choose to roll the virtual dice to see who wins the battle and gains control of the country. Note–this action will take 1 of your 2 colonies to set up or you can use both.

Round 3–Choose 2 colonies or go to war against another country

For this round, you will choose 2 colonies (you will have to say in which country and make note as you will use this in your reflection you will be turning in later).. It takes 3 colonies to gain full control over an entire country.

If you want a colony in a country that another imperial power already has 1 or 2 colonies in, but not full control, you can choose to roll the virtual dice to see who wins the battle and gains control of the country. Note–this action will take 1 of your 2 colonies to set up or you can use both.

Special Note– If you have unlimited resources in this round because you have full control of the country, you can create many colonies this round… Just let Mrs. Carroll know.



Round 4– Divide Up the Rest of Africa

Berlin Conference time! You will get to roll the virtual dice to see how many more colonies your country will get to divide up the rest of Africa.

Special Note—Great Britain, whatever is not claimed is YOURS! Muahahahaha


Scramble for Africa Game Reflection (this is what you will turn in to the drop box)

Which country did you choose to represent in the game? What advantages and disadvantages did you feel you had as this country?
What resources were you most concerned with and why?
Write out a reflection for each of the 4 rounds. For each round, cover the following:
The colonies you established and resources gained
For rounds 2-4, who you went to battle with and what the outcome was.
For round 4, what did you get that was left over.
Think as if you were the country you represented in the game… what benefits would you gain by having control over African countries and getting their resources? What disadvantages or challenges might you face?
Ultimately, who won the Scramble for Africa? Who lost? Explain.
Based off of what you know of indirect and direct rule, which type of rule would you use in Africa? Why? Which would be least effective? Explain.
Your decisions created colonial boundaries that will eventually become the borders of African countries. What problems have you created in these African countries by dividing up Africa based on European needs and concerns rather than African ones? Make the answer short

Answer 1

I chose to represent: Great Britain

Advantages and disadvantages as Britain
- Advantages: strongest navy (easy to project power and protect trade routes), existing overseas bases, industrial demand for raw materials (cotton, rubber, minerals), wealthy economy to finance expansion, and the special game rule: Great Britain gets whatever is not claimed in Round 4.
- Disadvantages: empire overreach (long supply lines), expensive to administer and garrison many colonies, risk of resistance/rebellions, competition with other strong European powers (France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Spain).

Most important resources I targeted and why
- Suez/Nile control (Egypt/Sudan): strategic for trade route to India + cotton.
- Gold and diamonds (Gold Coast, South Africa): finance and industry.
- Palm oil and cocoa (West Africa, e.g., Nigeria/Gold Coast): industrial uses and foodstuffs.
- Rubber and ivory (Central Africa/Congo region): industrial/transport uses.
- Minerals (copper, tin, etc.) where available: industrial production and arms.
These supported Britain’s industry, global trade, and naval power.

Round-by-round reflection

Round 1 — Choose 2 colonies
- Chosen colonies: Egypt and Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana).
- Resources gained: Egypt — control of Suez route, cotton and strategic control of Nile trade; Gold Coast — gold, cocoa and palm products (1 share each for starting with one colony in each).
- Rationale: secure the trade route to India and valuable precious metals and agricultural exports.

Round 2 — Choose 2 colonies or go to war
- Action: Established a colony in Nigeria (1 colony there) and went to contest Sudan, where France had started moves.
- Battle: Fought France over influence in Sudan (modeled on the Fashoda crisis). Outcome: Britain won the diplomatic/military contest and secured Sudan (gave Britain full control of Sudan after the conflict).
- Resources gained: Nigeria — palm oil, cocoa, and trade access (1 share); Sudan (now controlled) — cotton, strategic Nile control (now 2 shares from previously held Egypt + Sudan, strengthening cotton access).
- Note: One colony placement was used to back the Sudan operation.

Round 3 — Choose 2 colonies or go to war
- Action: Established colonies in Kenya and the Cape/South Africa region (Rhodesia/Cape corridor) — both historically British areas.
- Battle: No direct contest this round — focused on building infrastructure (rail, ports) and consolidating mining operations.
- Resources gained: Kenya — coffee/tea, agricultural exports; South Africa/Rhodesia — diamonds and gold (important for finance/industry). With South Africa holdings, diamond/gold production increased significantly.

Round 4 — Divide up the rest of Africa (Berlin Conference)
- Roll result (game special note for Britain): whatever remained unclaimed I claimed. I used this to create a contiguous north-south corridor (Cairo to Cape ambitions) by securing Uganda, Nyasaland (Malawi), and Rhodesia (to connect territories), plus some coastal holdings unclaimed by others.
- Additional resources gained: more agricultural territories, strategic ports on both East and West coasts, more mineral areas as leftover claims.
- Final outcome of the game: Britain ends up with the largest contiguous set of colonies and key strategic points (Suez, major ports, gold/diamond fields, and West African resources).

Benefits to Britain from controlling African countries/resources
- Economic: steady supply of raw materials (cotton, rubber, gold, diamonds, palm oil) for manufacturing and trade.
- Strategic: control of trade routes (Suez), naval bases, and coaling stations for the global navy.
- Political: increased international prestige and bargaining power vs. other European empires.

Disadvantages and challenges Britain would face
- Administrative and military cost to govern and pacify large territories.
- Local resistance, uprisings, and the need to station troops.
- Logistical challenges (transport, disease, communication).
- Long-term economic dependence of colonies on single-export economies and difficulty integrating colonial economies with the metropole sustainably.

Who won and who lost the Scramble for Africa?
- In my playthrough: Great Britain “won” by obtaining the largest set of territories and strategic assets (Suez, major ports, mineral regions) and by claiming leftovers in Round 4.
- Losers: Smaller imperial claimants (e.g., Portugal, Spain, Italy) ended up with limited valuable holdings; Germany and France still kept significant colonies but lost some contested areas to Britain in this scenario. (Outcome depends on dice/battles; in this playthrough Britain ended best-off.)

Direct vs. indirect rule — which would I use and why?
- I would use indirect rule. Reasons: cheaper to administer, uses existing local power structures and leaders to maintain order, reduces immediate resistance by preserving some local authority and customs, and is faster to scale over large territories with limited European administrators.
- Least effective: direct rule. Reasons: requires many European administrators, more costly, provokes greater resistance by dismantling local institutions, and tends to be less sustainable politically over large, diverse territories.

Short answer — problems created by drawing colonial boundaries for European needs
- Arbitrary borders split ethnic groups and lump rival groups together, creating tensions, weakening traditional governance, and causing conflicts, economic disruption, and long-term instability.