The Clash of Empires and Classes, 1878–1914

Abstract

In July 1879, Mr Goldie Taubman (later Sir George Goldie) formed a United African Company in order to manage the British infiltration of Nigeria. In 1880, the French explorer Count de Brazza returned to the north bank of the River Congo to make treaties with Makoko, a local chief. These treaties were ratified by the French government in the summer of 1882. The race for Africa had begun. Henry Morton Stanley, famous for his meeting with the missionary David Livingstone, was to write about the Congo of

the novel mission of sowing along its banks civilised settlements to peacefully conquer and subdue it, to remould it in harmony with modern ideas into national states, within whose limits the European merchant shall go hand in hand with the dark African trader, and justice and law and order shall prevail, and lawlessness and the cruel barter of slaves shall be overcome.¹