Why European countries divided Africa, and how Africans responded

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to E. Card A, a summary in our words, written today, from a United Nations office: Except for Ethiopia and Liberia, African states were created by European powers through violence or political pressure between 1880 and 1914. Resistance was firm after Berlin. Empress Taytu Betul and Emperor Menelik II organized the resistance to Italy's attempted conquest that led to the victory at Adwa in 1896. Card B, a summary in our words, written today, from Smithsonian Magazine: Germany seized land and set up a colony in southern Africa in 1884. In 1904 German colonial authorities met a rebellion led by Nama and Herero leaders with brutal force. Between 1904 and 1908 colonial soldiers imprisoned and murdered tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people. Most historians suggest about 80,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama, while estimates vary. Germany's foreign minister formally called it genocide in 2021. Card C, a summary in our words, written today, from the Library of Congress: The response to Herero and Nama resistance in 1904 to 1906 is estimated to have cost about 65,000 lives. Card D, two readings written for this sheet, not quotations from any historian. Reading X: African resistance mattered little, because except in Ethiopia it failed. Reading Y: Resistance was widespread and shaped the terms of colonial rule even where it lost. Card E, a note from the sheet: Namibia is an independent country today, and the Herero and Nama are peoples of Namibia today.

2. 1.

   Ethiopia won at Adwa in 1896 (card A); Herero and Nama leaders rose in 1904 and were met with brutal force (card B). Ari asks what the cards say about why outcomes differed.

   • Leadership explains it, since card A names two leaders and card B names no one by name, the difference between the cases
   • Courage explains it, since the Ethiopian forces were willing to fight and the others were not
   • They show resistance in both places with different outcomes but give no causes, so no explanation follows
   • Nothing can be said, since two different regions cannot be compared with one another
3. 2.

   Card A says Ethiopia and Liberia were the only African states not created by European powers. Bo asks what Adwa shows about the others.

   • It shows one victory over a European army in 1896; other states were created by European powers
   • That resistance was weak elsewhere, since just one state won against European armies
   • That African armies could defeat Europeans in general, since Adwa was a clear victory
   • That Italy was the strongest power, since it was the one that attempted to conquer Ethiopia
4. 3.

   Card B: about 80,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama lost their lives 1904 to 1908. Card C: about 65,000 over 1904 to 1906. Jun says the sources contradict. What is the better reading?

   • The larger is right, since later and wider figures replace earlier and narrower ones
   • They cover different spans and counts, so they are separate estimates and not rivals
   • One must be wrong, since two sources cannot give two numbers for one event
   • The gap of 25,000 shows an error in the larger, since estimates should match closely
5. 4.

   Card B totals 90,000 (80,000 plus 10,000); card C gives 65,000. Kira asks what the 25,000 gap allows. Which claim is sound?

   • The smaller figure is correct, since the Library of Congress is more careful than a magazine
   • The gap means no number is usable, since estimates this far apart are meaningless
   • The larger figure is correct, since it covers two peoples and a longer span
   • Estimates differ by tens of thousands, so both are cited; the cards cannot say which is closer
6. 5.

   Luz writes up the toll from cards B and C. Which wording is best?

   • Tens of thousands lost their lives, and no further number should be given since estimates vary
   • About 65,000 lost their lives, since the Library of Congress figure is the lower and so safer one
   • Exactly 90,000 Herero and Nama lost their lives, according to the Smithsonian
   • Estimates range from about 65,000 (1904 to 1906) to about 90,000 (1904 to 1908)
7. 6.

   Reading X says resistance mattered little because it usually failed; reading Y says it was widespread and shaped colonial rule. Milo asks which fact in card A favors Y.

   • It says African states except Ethiopia and Liberia were created by European powers, which shows resistance failed
   • It says resistance was firm after Berlin, so resistance was widespread even where it lost
   • It says Empress Taytu Betul and Menelik II organized the victory at Adwa, which shows leaders mattered
   • It dates the states' creation to 1880 to 1914, which shows how quickly resistance collapsed
8. 7.

   Noah asks which fact in the cards favors reading X over reading Y.

   • Estimates of the Herero and Nama toll vary, which shows that the sources disagree about resistance
   • Germany's foreign minister named the killings genocide in 2021, which shows the resistance was crushed
   • Adwa in 1896 was a victory over a European army, which shows that resistance could win
   • Besides two states, European powers created the others by 1914, so resistance seldom stopped partition
9. 8.

   Pia wants to decide between readings X and Y. Which new evidence would help most?

   • The total African population in 1914, since population counts show how many resisted
   • Treaties and colonial reports showing where resistance changed borders, taxes or labor rules
   • More maps of the 1914 shares, since maps show how much Europeans held
   • Speeches by European ministers praising colonial rule, since they show how rule was justified
10. 9.

    Card A says Ethiopia and Liberia were not created by European powers. Tala says Liberia also won by resisting. What do the cards show?

    • Liberia resisted like Ethiopia, since both are named together as exceptions and stayed outside European rule
    • Liberia was created by European powers, since it is named in the same card
    • Liberia cannot be discussed, since the cards give no history of it
    • Card A names Liberia as an exception but gives no resistance there, so it stays apart from Adwa
11. 10.

    Zee says the partition was inevitable because Europeans were stronger. Which reply uses the cards best?

    • Correct, since just two states escaped and so the outcome was fixed in advance
    • Incorrect, since Adwa shows that Africans were stronger than Europeans
    • Incorrect, since the partition was agreed at Berlin and so was a matter of choice, not strength
    • Resistance was firm and Adwa was a victory, so strength did not decide every case