Imperialism is the policy of extending the dominion or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and maintaining colonies and dependencies. In 1870, European powers took control of the African Congo and enslaved the natives. Furthermore, they were forced to work the land, so that Europeans could obtain the products they needed, using cheap labor to turn them around and sell them at a profit. These products included raw materials such as rubber, diamonds, and coffee (A New World Order: Imperialism and World War I). Unfortunately, the people of the Congo were beaten, exploited, raped and even killed by the European powers if they did not do their job properly or if they refused to do their job completely. Eventually, the slaves grew tired of fighting for survival and fought back with all the power they could find within their community. At first, the motivations of European imperialism seemed pure, but in reality the era was a reign of terror. Eventually the horrors of imperialism came to light and the world reacted with outrage. The Belgian Congo, located within the African continent, became extremely attractive to Europeans. “Beginning in the 1870s, Europeans brought much of the world under their influence and control. The new imperialisms exploded due to a combination of causes." (Esler 564) As a result of the Industrial Revolution in Europe, some of the most powerful nations in the world experienced economic change. There was a shift in the economy from agriculture to mass production, and what followed was an economic depression. “Africa provided a source of low-cost raw materials for factories, while also providing customers for products made in Europe” (http://project...... middle of paper ..... . and take them out of the area. Although this worked quite well for the Africans, the Mashona began to fight against the Ndebele, which caused the spread of smallpox, a disease that weakens the immune system, among the tribe and placed them in a huge disadvantage. The use of violence was not always used to resist European powers, sometimes the women of the tribe participated in these movements protesting against the British (African resistance to colonial rule. They simply used their words instead of violence to fight the British the men were surrendering to the European powers, the women had no choice but to stand up and use the power they had. Sometimes the protests ended in death due to rumors spread by the local colonial administration forcing the women of he protests to tell others that he caused their death.