Imperialism in Africa w. Steven Press of Stanford

Imagine a world in which your country is purchased by a foreigner. Not taken over by a foreign country, mind you, but rather bought and paid for via a purchase contract. While there are many instances of one country invading or occupying another throughout history, the late 1800s saw European powers come to own—at least in their eyes—nearly the entire of Africa. Europeans exploited a strictly legalistic process in order to take possession of, and subsequently exploit an entire continent, with chilling consequences. Join us as we explore contracts, imperialism in Africa, and their effect on the world as we know it.