There are several reasons why the European nations competed with each other to gain colonies in Africa. They all wanted to gain power and prestige. The more territory that they were able to control in Africa the more powerful and important they thought they could become. Africa was tremendously rich in natural resources, which could be brought to Europe and turned into manufactured goods. Europeans also needed markets for their manufactured goods. These goods could …showed first 75 words of 1129 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1129 total…intellectuals, economists, of patriotic publicists and politicians anxious to ensure national security and self - sufficiency, than the economic conditions of the country itself. And, as the examples of the British, French, Dutch, and Portuguese show, nations that had traditions of colonialism were more prompt to seek colonies that were nations, such as Germany and Italy that had no such traditions. Bibliography Ellis, Elisabeth and Esler, Anthony (2003) World History Connections to Today. Pearson Custom Publishing