The 'Scramble for Africa' was the period of rapid colonization of Africa by European powers between 1881 and 1914.

In 1870, only 10% of Africa was under European control; by 1914, it had increased to 90%.

The motives for this 'New Imperialism' included economic interests (raw materials and new markets), national rivalry, and a belief in European cultural superiority (the 'White Man's Burden').

Technological advantages, such as the Maxim gun and quinine (an anti-malaria drug), enabled European conquest.

The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 was held by European powers to set rules for the division of Africa.

No African leaders were invited to the conference.

The conference established the principle of 'effective occupation,' meaning a power had to have a physical presence to claim a territory.

The colonial boundaries drawn by the Europeans were arbitrary and often cut across existing ethnic and linguistic groups.

This division of the continent had devastating and long-lasting consequences for Africa's political and economic development.

Only Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent of European rule.