Review: The Scramble for Africa
Officiell recension - Kirkus ReviewsLike our own century's headlong rush to own the Bomb, European powers in the late-19th century raced to acquire colonies in Africa. Now, in a comprehensive and certain-to-be-standard account of this ""scramble,"" Pakenham (The Boer War, 1979) describes the motives and methods of what Bismarck called ""the colonial whirl."" For Pakenham, the ""scramble"" began with the death of David Livingstone, the great missionary and explorer. Horrified by the new slave trade, organized by the Arabs and their African allies, that was destroying the heart of his beloved continent, the dying Livingstone pleaded for the three ""Cs""--Commerce, Christianity, and Civilization--to join in a worldwide crusade to root out the evil. But a fourth ""C""--Conquest--was added, and though the original ideals were never lost, they were often secondary to realpolitik and greed. Villains, heroes, rogues--each responded to the call in his own fashion, but ""all conceived of it in terms of romantic nationalism."" There was Stanley, the consummate self-promoter; King Leopold II of Belgium, who made the Congo his personal fief; the idiosyncratic General Gordon, sacrificed to the Mahdi; and a large cast of other luminaries. In alternating chapters, Pakenham describes the individual European powers' ventures and misadventures in a continent that, in reality, was incapable of ever fulfilling their grandiose expectations. Indeed, no one except the wily Leopold, who stashed his gains in a hidden bank account, really came out ahead. And what of the Africans themselves, who were to be saved by the three Cs? Pakenham's answer is unfashionably Panglossian: Europe gave a continent in thrall to slave traders and despots ""the aspirations for freedom and human dignity, the humanitarian ideals of Livingstone, even if Europe was seldom able to live up to them."" More anecdotal than analytical, but a spirited and intelligent history of one of the moat seminal events in Africa, whose legacy is not yet spent.
Review: Scramble For Africa
Användarrecension - Monet Tiran - GoodreadsGreat overview of European powers over Africa Läs hela recensionen
Review: The Scramble for Africa: The White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912
Användarrecension - Fitzharrys Fitzharrys - GoodreadsA really good read - unputdownable, and at over 800 pages, close to unpickupable. Don't be put off by the thickness or the small print, this is an excellent book and a good introduction to all that ... Läs hela recensionen
Review: The Scramble for Africa: The White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912
Användarrecension - Eddy Allen - GoodreadsIn 1880 the continent of Africa was largely unexplored by Europeans. Less than thirty years later, only Liberia and Ethiopia remained unconquered by them. The rest - 10 million square miles with 110 ... Läs hela recensionen
Review: The Scramble for Africa: The White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912
Användarrecension - Matt - GoodreadsComprehensive collection of narratives from the major players in Europe's scramble to divide up Africa between 1876 and 1912. What emerges is a tale of conflict between unchecked greed and savagery on ... Läs hela recensionen
Review: The Scramble for Africa: The White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912
Användarrecension - Margitte - GoodreadsTHE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA: White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent From 1876 to 1912. (1991). Thomas Pakenham. I read this book, or parts of the massive work, in my thirties and it opened up thirty ... Läs hela recensionen
Review: The Scramble for Africa: The White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912
Användarrecension - Karen Stubenvoll - GoodreadsA really thick book which I read while laid up with a broken ankle. Enjoyed it immensely, very imformative. Läs hela recensionen
Review: The Scramble for Africa: The White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912
Användarrecension - Denise Derocher - GoodreadsMust-read for historical clarification of what actually occurred during Europe's quest for land. Läs hela recensionen
Review: The Scramble for Africa: The White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912
Användarrecension - Bunza - GoodreadsI have read many books that deal with the exploration, conquest and colonization of Africa, this is definitely the best. Läs hela recensionen
Review: The Scramble for Africa: The White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912
Användarrecension - Sergio GRANDE films - GoodreadsYou have to love the subject and you have to know Africa as it is today. Then this book will help you understand. There's no better text. It may be heavy going if Africa is not your thing, I don't ... Läs hela recensionen
