The Berlin Treaty (Continuation of the Evolution of the Nigerian State) – JSS3 Nigerian History Lesson Note (Third Term)

The Berlin Treaty (the General Act of the Berlin Conference, November 1884 to February 1885) is the agreement in which European powers set rules for claiming and controlling African land.

Behavioural objectives

1. State when and where the Berlin Conference was held and why it was called.
2. List the main decisions of the Berlin Treaty, including the rules for claiming territory.
3. Explain how the Berlin Treaty led to the creation of Nigeria.
4. Describe the effects of colonial rule on Nigerian peoples and traditional states.
5. Identify some lasting effects of the colonial period on modern Nigeria.

What were the key terms in this topic?

• Scramble for Africa: the race among European countries to claim African land in the late 1800s.
• Colony: a territory ruled directly by a foreign country.
• Protectorate: an area where a stronger country promises to protect a weaker one but in practice controls it.
• Effective occupation: the rule that a country must actually govern land before it can claim it.
• Amalgamation: the joining of separate territories into one.
• Indirect rule: governing through the existing traditional rulers.

What was the Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885?

The Berlin Conference was a meeting of European powers in Berlin, Germany, to agree rules for taking control of African land.

• Dates: it began in November 1884 and ended in February 1885.
• Place: Berlin, Germany.
• Attendance: fourteen countries, including the United States, took part.
• Africans: no African ruler was invited to decide the matter.

Why was the conference held?

The conference was held because European countries were competing for African land and might have gone to war over it.

• Avoid war: to stop European countries fighting over the same areas.
• Rules for claims: to agree how a country could claim territory in Africa.
• Trade on rivers: to settle trade and travel on major rivers such as the Niger and the Congo.
• Division of land: to reduce disputes over which country should hold which area.

What were the key decisions of the Berlin Treaty?

The Berlin Treaty made three main decisions: rules for claiming land, free trade on two river basins, and effective occupation.

Rules for claiming territory

• Notice: a country had to tell the other European powers about any new claim.
• Authority: it had to show it had enough authority in the area to protect existing rights and trade.
• Presence: planting a flag alone was not enough.

Free trade areas

• Congo Basin: declared open to free trade.
• Niger River: declared open to free navigation, with Britain responsible for the lower Niger.
• Purpose: traders of different nations could use the rivers, even in areas held by another power.

What is effective occupation?

Effective occupation is the rule that a European power must set up real control before its claim to land is accepted.

• Reaching an area or passing through it did not give a claim.
• Powers had to set up officials, police and armed forces.
• The rule hurried the actual conquest of Africa.

How were African borders drawn?

The conference set the rules, and the borders were then drawn in separate agreements among European powers.

• Britain, France and Germany later agreed boundaries on maps, such as those around Nigeria.
• The lines ignored culture, language and traditional boundaries.
• Many ethnic groups were split between different colonies.
• Some groups with a history of conflict were placed in the same colony.

How did the Berlin Treaty lead to the creation of Nigeria?

The treaty pushed Britain to turn its trading interests on the Niger and the coast into formal control, which led to the colony of Nigeria in 1914.

What was Britain’s position before the treaty?

• Coastal trade: British traders were working along the coast.
• Niger trade: British traders on the Niger formed the company later called the Royal Niger Company (chartered in 1886).
• Lagos: Britain made Lagos a colony in 1861.

What did Britain do after the treaty?

• Inland control: it expanded inland from Lagos and the Niger.
• Treaties: it signed agreements with local chiefs and kings.
• Personnel: it sent more officials, traders and missionaries.
• Takeover: in 1900 the government took over the Royal Niger Company’s territory.

What protectorates were created?

What was the Amalgamation of 1914?

The Amalgamation of 1914 was the joining of the Northern and Southern Nigeria Protectorates into one colony called Nigeria.

• It took place on 1 January 1914 under Lord Lugard.
• The name “Nigeria” comes from the Niger River.

What were the effects of colonial rule on Nigeria?

Colonial rule after the Berlin Treaty changed Nigeria’s borders, peoples, politics and economy.

Artificial boundaries

• Hausa: the border with Niger divided the Hausa people.
• Yoruba: the border with Benin divided the Yoruba people.
• Kanuri: the borders around Lake Chad divided the Kanuri people among several countries.
• Result: these boundaries still cause problems today.

Different peoples brought together

• Hausa-Fulani: mainly in the North.
• Yoruba: mainly in the Southwest.
• Igbo: mainly in the Southeast.
• Others: Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups in all.
• These groups had different cultures, languages, religions and systems of government.

End of independence of many states

• Many smaller kingdoms and city-states also lost their independence.

Introduction of colonial rule

• Officials: colonial officers were sent to govern.
• Laws: new laws and courts were introduced.
• Rulers: traditional rulers lost much of their power.
• Taxes: new taxes were created.

Economic changes

• Raw materials: production was aimed at supplying European factories.
• Cash crops: cocoa, rubber and palm produce were encouraged.
• Railways: lines were built to carry goods to the coast.
• Money: new currency and banking were introduced.
• Crafts: many traditional crafts and industries declined.

How were traditional Nigerian states affected?

Traditional states were affected differently, depending on how each people was governed before colonial rule.

Northern emirates

• Indirect rule: the British governed through the emirs.
• Limited power: emirs kept some power but had to obey British officers.
• Sharia: Islamic law was kept for civil and family matters but limited in criminal cases.
• Burdens: new taxes and labour demands were introduced.

Yoruba kingdoms

• Removal of rulers: some Obas who resisted were removed.
• Councils: traditional councils were changed.
• Boundaries: new administrative units did not match traditional areas.

Igbo communities

Many Igbo communities had no kings, so the British had no ruler to govern through.

• Warrant chiefs: the British appointed men who had not been leaders before.
• Village democracy: the traditional way of making decisions was disrupted.
• Courts: new courts replaced traditional ways of settling disputes.
• Resistance: the Aba Women’s Riots of 1929 were a protest against these changes and taxation rumours.

What is the legacy of colonial rule for modern Nigeria?

Colonial rule lasted until 1 October 1960, when Nigeria became independent, and it still shapes Nigeria’s borders, ethnic mix and federal system.

Challenges of nation-building

• Identity: it is hard to build a shared national identity.
• Tensions: regional and ethnic tensions exist.
• Regions: the early regions were dominated by three major ethnic groups.
• Conflict: the Nigerian Civil War (1967 to 1970) was the most serious crisis.

Federal system of government

• Sharing power: power is shared between the national government and the states.
• Growth: Nigeria began with three regions and now has 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory.
• Aim: it gives different groups some control over their own affairs.

Border disputes

• Bakassi Peninsula: a long dispute with Cameroon.
• Other borders: issues with Niger, Chad and Benin.
• Internal disputes: boundary quarrels between states and communities.

Cultural and linguistic diversity

• Languages: over 500 languages are spoken.
• Religions: Islam, Christianity and traditional beliefs.
• Origin: this diversity existed before colonial rule, which placed the groups in one country.
• Strength: it brings cultural exchange between groups, as well as challenges.

Evaluation

1. When and where was the Berlin Conference held?
2. Give two reasons why European countries held the conference.
3. What was the “effective occupation” principle?
4. Name the protectorates that were joined in 1914 and state what the joining was called.
5. Mention three effects of colonial rule on Nigeria.

Assignment

Write a short essay on how colonial rule after the Berlin Treaty affected any one of these: the Northern emirates, the Yoruba kingdoms or the Igbo communities.