The Scramble for Africa is one of the best examples of colonization in the history of the world. Europe alone managed to colonize the entire African continent in a period of approximately twenty-five years, from 1875 to 1900. The search for power by European nations was only one of the driving forces of this race to colonize. The geographical position and the natural resources to be exploited in some regions of the continent were important factors in the land rush. Another factor that contributed to the colonization of Africa was the end of the slave trade. The need for a new capitalism to exist between Europe and Africa after the call for the abolition of slavery became great. European traders were looking for new avenues to make money, as well as new ways to exploit the natives of Africa, due to their perceived weakness as a people, which made European nations' search for employment incessant. Political, economic and social ambitions led Europe to divide Africa into separate colonies and the race to see which country could establish a monopoly in Africa became a European obsession. There is consensus among historians that the political scramble for Africa was started by King Leopold of Belgium. King Leopold had been a supporter of Henry Stanley, a Welsh journalist and explorer of Africa. In the late 1870s, Stanley had participated in another expedition to Africa, mapping the Congo River from its origins to the ocean. Leopold had developed an interest in the Congo region of Africa. He sent Stanley as a private envoy of his International African Association in an attempt to establish a foothold in the Congo region. Leopold had not been sincere in his intentions with Stanley. It led Stanley to believe that it was his… middle of paper… the African continent has caused millions of deaths, from mistreatment to disease to open warfare against them. In many regions, European countries have deprived the territory of its natural resources, without caring at all about the territory and the people who lived on the territory. Although there were some positive improvements such as better transportation and healthcare, African cultures were destroyed and lives were lost in the process of European colonization. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things fall apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Print. “Profile of the Democratic Republic of Congo”. BBC News. BBC. Network. 10 January 2012. “Imperialism”. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. 2008. Print.Ogbaa, Kalu. Understanding Things Fall Apart: A casebook for students on historical issues, sources, and documents. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999. Print.