384. The Scramble for Africa (English Vocabulary Lesson)

In the 1870s, about ten percent of Africa had been colonised by European countries. But over the next few decades, over ninety percent of the continent was taken, occupied, divided, and partitioned by governments far away in places like London, Berlin, and Paris. We call this period in history the “Scramble for Africa.” In a remarkably short period of time, countries like Britain, France, Germany, and Belgium claimed vast territories for themselves without any input from African people. By 1914, only a handful of places remained independent, while most of Africa was ruled as colonies. How did this happen so quickly? And what were the consequences of dividing an entire continent in this way? These are the questions we’ll explore in today’s episode of Thinking in English! Conversation Club - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/patreo... TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2026/0... AD Free Episode -   / thinkinginenglish   Patreon -   / thinkinginenglish   YouTube Channel -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   / @thinkinginenglishpodcast   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ INSTAGRAM - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ) $10 Free Credits on iTalki (Affiliate Link) - https://www.italki.com/affshare?ref=a... ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ My Editing Software (50 % Discount Affiliate Link) - https://descript.cello.so/BgOK9XOfQdD Borough by Blue Dot Sessions Contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to advertise on Thinking in English. Thinking in English is part of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media podcast network.⁠⁠ 00:00 The Scramble for Africa: Overview and Legacies 01:16 Vocabulary List 03:02 Africa Before Colonization 05:30 Explorers and New Technology 08:18 Congo and Rising Rivalries 09:46 The Berlin Conference 11:07 Partitioning the Continent 13:12 African Resistance Stories 15:24 Why Europe Colonized 16:57 Ideologies and Racism 19:22 Lasting Colonial Legacies 23:21 Final Thought #englishlearning #podcast #vocabulary