1. What was an economic motivation for European imperialism in Africa?

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, seven European powers France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Portugal were active in claiming African territory as their own. By 1914, the vast majority of the continent was under European control, with France dominating the northwest, while British possessions were concentrated in the east and south. European colonial activity in Africa was motivated by a variety of factors.