Europeans have inhabited Africa for over 300 years. Starting in 1500, they settled mostly along the coast, but now, it is the 1800s and the Europeans are growing more, and more curious. Explorers find lots of natural resources which the Europeans want, and will get. England, France and Germany, among other european powers believe that in order to keep their status as a world power, they need to own territory in Africa and use its resources. This is evident in the “Friendly” competition the europeans had with each other to get the land and the resources their colonies obtain. The Germans hosted a conference in 1884 and 1885 in Berlin to divide up the african continent, also to put certain rules in place so this does not lead to war. The biggest powers at the time, France and Great Britain owned most of Africa, which you can see in Document A. So at the conference, they would have been able to keep the portion they already have claimed. The Germans were interested much later than France and Great Britain, so their share wasn’t as big. The same goes for Italy, Portugal, Belgium and Spain. Now, why would they want to go over there so much? According to Document B, John Ruskin believed that England would “perish” unless she obtained as many colonies and as much “fruitful waste ground she can set her fut on”. Also in Document B, Friedrich Fabri, also known as the father of the German colonial movement, believed that while germany was a very capable nation industrially and commercially, they need to think about what is next for the German nation. The “best” thing for the Germans to do , according to Fabri, would be to “learn about colonial skills from our Anglo-Saxon cousins” and begin a friendly competition over these colonies. This “friendly” competition would propel Germany to its former glory as a trade and sea power. So, once these countries have their colonies, how would they keep their status as a “world po