Question

What was the purpose of the Berlin Conference?

a) To fight over what parts of Africa each country would receive.
b) To avoid conflict among themselves when dividing up Africa.
c) To take a tour of the city of Berlin together.
d) To compare how powerful each country is.

Answer 1

The purpose of the Berlin Conference was b) to avoid conflict among European powers by regulating the colonial division of Africa, an act that significantly impacted the continent's political landscape and disregarded African participation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The purpose of the 1884–1885 Berlin Conference was b) to avoid conflict among European nations over the division of Africa.

The conference aimed to regulate the "scramble for Africa" and establish ground rules for the colonization of the continent by various European powers.

No African nations were represented at the conference, and the resulting partition often disregarded existing political, ethnic, and cultural boundaries, leading to long-term consequences for the continent.

During the conference, representatives from 14 countries, which included 13 European powers and the United States, met to negotiate and agree on colonial boundary lines across Africa without the inclusion of African leaders or representatives.

This process was largely influenced by the economic ambitions of European countries, such as accessing raw materials, seeking new markets for their goods, and achieving military dominance over their rivals.

As a result of the conference, European nations formalized their territorial claims and set the stage for the intense colonization of Africa which followed.