Final answer:
European governments attempted to manage or control affairs in their colonies through authoritarian rule, forced labor and taxation, economic control, military conquest, and attempts at moderate changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
European governments attempted to manage or control affairs in their colonies through various methods:
- Authoritarian rule: European colonial states were often repressive and governed with violence.
- Forced labor and taxation: Africans were forced to work on colonial projects and pay taxes to fund the colonial enterprise.
- Economic control: European colonial states designed and controlled African economies to benefit European merchants and manufacturers.
- Military conquest: European powers used military force to gain control over colonies and prevent encroachment by other industrial powers.
- Attempts at moderate changes: Some European powers, like France, proposed reforms in their colonies to allow for a degree of self-rule, while still preventing full independence.