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France with the return of Senegal after the Napoleonic Wars controlled much of the coast of Senegal as well as Gorée island between the Senegal and Gambia Rivers. They established Dakar on the coast opposite Gorée on the mainland (1857). The French more agresiblely pushed inland than the Btitish. They set up a station at Médine, up the Senegal River (1850s). The French had various commercial ventures along the West African coast. There primary efforts were on the Senegal River which priovided a route into the interior. The French never fully conceptualized the future of their colonies. Some French thinkers seemed to have thought of turning Senegal into French provinces. [Boahen, p. 123.] Emigration was, however, very limited. As the French returned to Senegal in the early-19th century, they began to think more of trade and raw material and thus began to push into the interior savanna. At the same time after seizing the coast of Algeria (1830s) the French began pushing south over the Sahara, although because of Arab and Bediouin opposition, this proved to be a slow process. A new French govenor, General Louis Faidherb, launched a major drive inland (1854). This was a good example of the importance of military figures in pushing the frontiers of the French Empire. In contrast, British colonial expansion was often launched by businessmen and merchants. This was one reason thst the British Empire was based on a more sound economic footing. [Crowder] Controlling the interior proved to be a difficult undertaking with the resources thst the French were willing to commit to the effort. Here they found substantial resistance to French control. Projecting power along the coast was one thing. Moving into the interior was another matter. Here they found Arabs, the Toucouleur Empire of Segou , and the Almamy Samori of Wasulu. Costly expeditions had to be mounted and even after military victory, the cross currents of political, social, economic, and religious forces complicated governing. The French colonial effort became part of the larger European Scrable for Africa. A French French expedition reached Bamako on the Niger (1883). The British continued to limit their activities to the Gambia. The British and French agereed to boundaries (1889).
In an undevelooed continent with very basic infraastructure, rivers were of enormous importance. France with the return of Senegal after the Napoleonic Wars controlled much of the coast of Senegal as well as Gorée island between the Senegal and Gambia Rivers. They established Dakar on the coast opposite Gorée on the mainland (1857). The French more agresiblely pushed inland than the Btitish and were primarily concerned with the Senegal River. They set up a station at Médine, up the Senegal River (1850s). The French had various commercial ventures along the West African coast. There primary efforts were on the Senegal River which priovided a route into the interior. The British were more concerned with the GambiaRiver.
The French never fully conceptualized the future of their colonies. Some French thinkers seemed to have thought of turning Senegal into French provinces. [Boahen, p. 123.] Emigration was, however, very limited. As the French returned to Senegal in the early-19th century, they began to think more of trade and raw material and thus began to push into the interior savanna. At the same time after seizing the coast of Algeria (1830s) the French began pushing south over the Sahara, although because of Arab and Bediouin opposition, this proved to be a slow process. A new French govenor, General Louis Faidherb, launched a major drive inland (1854). This was a good example of the importance of military figures in pushing the frontiers of the French Empire.
Britain and France were the two prinary colonial powers in West Africa. Both countries throughout the 19th century slowly began to moveinland from their well-established coastal trading posts. Both pursued contacts and relationships with inland tribal groups. There were, however, notable differences. British colonial expansion was often launched by businessmen and merchants in contrast tgo the French where miklitry men played a central role. This was one reason thst the British Empire was based on a more sound economic footing. [Crowder]
ontrolling the interior proved to be a difficult undertaking with the resources thst the French were willing to commit to the effort. Here they found substantial resistance to French control. Projecting power along the coast was one thing. Moving into the interior was another matter. Here they found Arabs, the Toucouleur Empire of Segou , and the Almamy Samori of Wasulu. Costly expeditions had to be mounted and even after military victory, the cross currents of political, social, economic, and religious forces complicated governing.
The European powes busied themselves fighting earch other (18th and early-19th century). The end of the Napoleoic Wars (1815) ushered in an era of relative peace. The European powers begian to give increasing attention to building overseas empires. Thriygh mid-century this could be done without great conflict among the rival colobial powers. Africa was a large continent. Gradually the colonial powers began to encounter coerlapping zones of influence (mid-19th century). The whole process became more complicaed with the unification of Germany and Italy, both of which belieced that theuy were entitled to a large colonial empore. The French colonial effort became part of the larger European Scrable for Africa. A French French expedition reached Bamako on the Niger (1883). the main European powers actively involved in the scramble for Africa decided to regularize the process in an effort to avoid conflicts. Chacelloe Bismarck helped to negotiate the Berlin Act (February 1885).
The Act flowed from the Congress of Berlin orcestrted by Bismarck. France, Germany, Britain and Portugal all had interests in West Africa at the time. The Berlin Act provided the guidelines which the European powers could avoid conflict and define their colonial boundaries. The French had signed treaties with several African leaders which ostensibly gave them the mandate to annex large tracts of the Western Sudan (1890s). They negotiated these treaties with African tribal leades from a position of power. The superior Europen firepower made it difficult to resist. The French moved east towards the Niger Valley were founded on this superiority. The French extended their control east and South fort by fort amasing a massive swath of territory. What became known as French West Africa begn to take shape. It looked impressive because of the area under French control. Much of the territory seized by France were desert lands of limited economic value. A factor here was the military rther thn the business role in the expansion. The British continued to limit their activities to the Gambia. The British and French agereed to boundaries (1889).
Boahen, Adu et. al. Topics in West African History (Essex: Longman Group UK, 1986).
Crowder, Michael. "History of French West Africa until Independence." in Africa South of the Sahara (London: Europa Publications, 1990).
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