Analize This!

As apart of my history class we have to read certain books. for each homework assignment we have to analize the hapters we were assigned that night. During the semester, a ertain part of Adam Hochschild's book "King Loepald's ghost", caught my attention and was very informational. They start off the chapter with a map of Africa. we see the map of Africa was cut up like a jigsaw puzzle by Europeans during the last part of the nineteenth century for a variety of reasons. In 1876 the French initiated and attempted to revitalize France expansionist policy of colonization. By creating treaties with the locals they expanded their colony and threatened the plans of the King of Belgium, fearing the expanding role of France, Britain began to recognize old claims that Portugal had on certain colonies and the whole matter concerned the Germans who while not wanting to colonize felt a need to protect their commercial interests. Ultimately this led to the Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885. The Conference recognized Leopold of Belgium's claim to the Belgian Congo and Zaire, French rights to equatorial Africa and freedom of trade throughout the region which was desired by the Germans. Britain was acknowledged to have claim on the lower Niger, France on the upper Niger. The conference also required a formal method of future European claims to Africa than the methods used by Britain in the past. I find this informative book on history and how nations became allies and how different nations fought to keep there independence played a tremedous role on how the United States became about as well. We are a strong nation and can be considered one of the strongest and yet newest nations.