The impact of the European power balance on the colonization of Africa

The African continent, which has a very important place in the history of the world and humanity, is in a unique position in terms of its human and natural resources. However, Africa, which embodies so much wealth, has been plagued by instability for centuries. The continent suffered significant losses in terms of human resources with the early colonial movements. The fate of the African continent, which was subjected to exploitation by European powers for many years, changed negatively with the Berlin Conference in 1884. With the Industrial Revolution, economic and political growth in the European continent moved the center of the world to Europe. This economic growth in Europe led states to search for raw materials. The colonial order established by Britain and France in Africa was taken to a different level with the unification of Germany by achieving national unity in 1881. In this context, Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck governed Germany on the axis of balance policy. During this period, explorers supported by European states also advanced into Africa. King Leopold II of Belgium, one of the statesmen who closely followed this progress, tried to gain power in the Congo River basin for the benefit of his country. Germany, which was growing and in need of raw materials, also demanded a new order in Africa within the framework of its interests. In the 19th century, as a result of the ongoing conflicts of interest centered in Europe, the Berlin Conference was held in 1884 for the division of Africa. During the conference process, it was noteworthy to observe the balance of power in the struggle between the powers that were in the continent before and the powers that came to the continent later. Structural Realism, pioneered by Kenneth Waltz, was utilized in order to understand the course of action of the states during the Berlin Conference process, which is thought to affect not only a certain period in Africa but also the future of the continent, and to explain the ongoing power struggle on the continent. In this context, the Berlin Conference process in Africa was analyzed on the axis of defensive Structural Realism in the security and power dilemma.