Berlin Conference
Wilhelmstrasse, Berlin, Germany
What happened
Delegates from fourteen countries met at the invitation of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck; no African rulers were invited. European powers were rushing to claim land in Africa. At the conference they agreed rules for recognising colonies: a power had to actually control a territory and tell the others. They also declared free trade in the Congo Basin and recognised King Leopold II's claims there.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It gave a legal framework to European colonisation of Africa. By 1914, almost all of Africa except Ethiopia and Liberia was under European rule.
What came next
Many separate agreements later drew Africa's colonial borders. Those borders still affect African countries today.
Did you know?
Historians disagree on how much the conference itself 'divided up' Africa; most borders were settled in later deals.
Timeline
- 15 November 1884The conference opens in Berlin.
- 26 February 1885The General Act is signed.
- 1 August 1885The 'Congo Free State' is announced.
- 1914About 90 per cent of Africa is under European control.