So what changed Well Europe started industrializing Repeating rifles and machine guns made conquest easy steamboats made shipping cheap and trains made transport by land easy And in 18 69 when the king of Belgium Leopold II started preparations to colonize the Congo other European powers did not want to be left out and soon began their own expeditions to Africa There are 3 main reasons why European nations wanted to colonize Africa in the first place The first reason was to control trading routes For example the British wanted control over the Suez Canal for faster shipping to and from their Asian colonies while other nations wanted ports where they could restock their ships The second reason was raw materials With factories trains and steamboats it became profitable to transport raw materials such as copper cotton or cobalt to Europe And the third reason was to sell manufactured goods to the Africans With those factory trains and steamboats Europe could make things which were better and cheaper than those products made in Africa And so the more colonies you owned the more customers you had And the more customers you have the more money you can make And so the European leaders held a conference the Berlin Conference to decide how they were going to split up Africa between them in order to avoid a war over African resources These countries were Belgium France Germany Italy Portugal Spain and Great Britain although Germany would lose all their colonies after World War I So in the late nineteenth and early 20th century European powers went to Africa to conquer it piece by piece AFRICAN TURNING POINTS Description Welcome to African Turning Points – Where Africa's Untold Stories Come Alive! This is not your typical History Channel. We're diving deep into African history, politics, revolutions, and real-life power shifts – from the rise of mighty empires to the fall of colonial chains, from legendary leaders to modern-day game changers. Uncover the hidden truths they don’t teach in school. Explore epic ethnic legacies, cultural awakenings, and the bold spirit of African governance — past and present. 🔥 History made bold. History made African. 📺 Subscribe for weekly drops on: African empires & heroes Revolutionary leaders & movements Past & present political turning points Religious & cultural transformations Raw truths behind current African affairs Don’t just watch history — experience it. Stay tuned. Stay enlightened. Stay African. For Promotions, contact us at: africanturningpoints@gmail.com