Give several reasons why the Berlin conference was held?

The Berlin conference was held in order to "fairly" divide the different parts of Africa between the European powers who were interested in colonizing it. There were also disagreements between Germany and the other countries on the principles of "effective occupation."

Explanation:

The Berlin Conference was held over the span of several months from November 15, 1884, until February 26, 1885. The principle of effective occupation was the idea that foreign powers could only claim power over lands if they had "effective occupation." This was Germany's stance because it had been later to try to gain colonial influence in Africa, and powers like the UK and France could make claim to many territories the Germans said they did not effectively occupy as defined above. There were also bilateral agreements between different powers before and after the conference according to some scholars as well, so it is also important not to overemphasize how key the conference was in the "Scramble for Africa." There were negotiations between the powers and efforts to sign treaties with local nobles and authorities in order to establish effective occupation. For example, the French had a number of conflicts before WWI with the Bedouin - and Berber-ruled states.