Britain

Britain

        During the conquest of Africa, Britain was not an instigator, but responded to the other European forces actions( Baldwin, S. (n.d.). Imperialism in Africa. Retrieved February 10, 2016, from http://ibatpv.org/projects/imperialism/baldwin.htm). They were against the Swahili Slave trade and felt obliged to stop it. This was only enough for the British to get there feet wet, and not get soldiers on the mainland (scott baldwin). The main reason why the British came over was to protect their own interests and the Suez Canal( Baldwin, S. (n.d.). Imperialism in Africa. Retrieved February 10, 2016, from http://ibatpv.org/projects/imperialism/baldwin.htm).

Between 1896-1898 the British Constructed a railway across the Nubian Desert to bypass five cataracts to the Nile in order to conquer Sudan.  The British also constructed a railway that stretched from Mombasa to Lake Victoria to prevent the French at Fashoda on the upper Nile. The railway was influential in the growth of the mining industry, which fueled imperial expansion. In 1867 after the discovery of diamonds at Kimberley, the British constructed more railways from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, and Durban to help supply the miners, bring out the diamonds, and make sure that it became a part of the British Empire ( Collins, R. O., & Burns, J. M. (2013). The European Conquest of Africa. In African History (Revised ed., p. 208). Cognella).

        Most of these railways were built by African labor, it was tough work that made them very weak. It was almost impossible to get the African farmers and pastoralists to want to work, so they had to rely on the South Asian laborers, and indentured servants from British India to build the Ugandan railway. After the completion of the railway the South Asian laborers and the indentured servants formed the Asian community in British East Africa( Collins, R. O., & Burns, J. M. (2013). The European Conquest of Africa. In African History (Revised ed., p. 209). Cognella).

        The British had no desire to occupy Egypt, but when british citizens were killed in riots and Arabi threatened to seize the Suez Canal, the british deployed a expeditionary unit in 1882 and destroyed the Egyptian army. William Ewart Gladstone(1809-1898) the Prime Minister announced that British troops would leave as soon as law and order were established. They remained there for another 75 years( Collins, R. O., & Burns, J. M. (2013). The European Conquest of Africa. In African History (Revised ed., p. 215). Cognella).

The British insured the control of the Suez Canal, but only with constant water flow from the Nile was their only security. Without the Nile, Egypt would be nothing but sand and rock. In order to protect the Nile, the british traveled up the river to secure it from any rivals. Twenty years after the Suez Canal opened in 1889, the British committed fully to employ all their military, diplomatic, and economic power in order to secure Egypt and the Suez Canal Collins, (R. O., & Burns, J. M. (2013). The European Conquest of Africa. In African History (Revised ed., p. 215). Cognella).