AMENDING THE COLONIAL GENOCIDE OF THE BERLIN CONFERENCE
The 1884 Division That Carved Africa Without African Consent
The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885
Convened without any African representation, European powers including Germany, France, Britain, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, and Spain arbitrarily divided the African continent. This conference established treaties that disregarded indigenous cultures, political structures, and human rights, leading to a century of exploitation and genocide.
The consequences of these colonial divisions continue to impact Africa today. This is not ancient history—this is the foundation of current global inequality.
THE HISTORICAL CRIME THEY DON’T TEACH
The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 established colonial boundaries that ignored African sovereignty, cultures, and peoples, leading to over a century of exploitation, genocide, and resource extraction.
While history books present it as a diplomatic conference, the Berlin Conference was in reality a criminal conspiracy to divide and conquer Africa without African consent. The treaties established were not only inhumane but deliberately ignored the diverse cultural realities and social structures present in Africa.
THE BERLIN CONFERENCE: A CONTINENTAL DIVISION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
From November 1884 to February 1885, European powers including Germany, France, Britain, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, and Spain convened to:
- Divide Africa into arbitrary colonial territories
- Establish “rules” for colonial acquisition without African input
- Create borders that split ethnic groups and cultures
- Legitimize the extraction of African resources and labor
This conference provided the legal framework for colonial exploitation that continues to impact Africa’s development, borders, and international relations to this day.
COLONIAL GENOCIDES & MASSACRES BY COUNTRY
Each colonial power committed specific atrocities enabled by the Berlin Conference divisions
ENGLAND’S GENOCIDES
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Mau Mau Massacre (Kenya 1952-1960) – Over 10,000 Kenyans killed, 150,000+ in concentration camps
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Boer War Concentration Camps (South Africa 1899-1902) – 26,000+ Boer women & children died, 14,000+ Black Africans
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Amritsar Massacre (India 1919) – 379-1,000+ Indians killed, 1,200+ wounded
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Tasmanian Genocide (Australia 1803-1830s) – 5,000+ Indigenous Tasmanians exterminated
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Irish Famine (1845-1852) – 1 million starved while food exported under British rule
FRANCE’S GENOCIDES
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Madagascar Massacre (1947) – 100,000+ Madagascans killed suppressing independence movement
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Sétif and Guelma Massacre (Algeria 1945) – 6,000-45,000 Algerians killed
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Algerian War (1954-1962) – 300,000-1,000,000 Algerians killed, systematic torture
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Haitian Reparations Extortion (1825-1947) – Forced Haiti to pay 150 million francs for independence
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Kanak Genocide (New Caledonia 1878-1917) – 80% population reduction, 50,000+ killed
GERMANY’S GENOCIDES
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Herero and Nama Genocide (Namibia 1904-1908) – 60,000-100,000 killed, first 20th century genocide
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Maji Maji Rebellion Massacre (Tanzania 1905-1907) – 75,000-300,000 killed using starvation tactics
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German East Africa Concentration Camps – Systematic extermination of resistance fighters
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Samoa Punitive Expeditions – Violent suppression of Samoan resistance
BELGIUM’S GENOCIDES
Congo Free State Genocide (1885-1908) – 10-15 million Congolese killed under King Leopold II
Hand Amputation Policy – Cutting off hands for rubber quota failures
Forced Labor System – Millions worked to death in rubber plantations
Rwanda Colonial Division – Created ethnic divisions leading to 1994 genocide
PORTUGAL’S GENOCIDES
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Wiriyamu Massacre (Mozambique 1972) – 400+ villagers massacred by Portuguese soldiers
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Angolan Colonial War (1961-1974) – 500,000+ Angolans killed, forced labor camps
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Guinea-Bissau Massacres (1963-1974) – Systematic destruction of villages
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Timor-Leste Genocide (1975-1999) – 100,000-200,000 Timorese killed during occupation
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Brazilian Indigenous Genocide – 3-5 million Indigenous deaths during colonization
ITALY’S GENOCIDES
NETHERLANDS’ GENOCIDES
SPAIN’S GENOCIDES
Each colonial power developed its own methods of genocide and exploitation, but all were enabled by the Berlin Conference’s arbitrary divisions.
The conference provided the legal framework for systematic violence that claimed tens of millions of lives across Africa and other colonized regions.
THE ONGOING CONSEQUENCES OF COLONIAL DIVISION
The Berlin Conference established a system of exploitation that continues through:
Debt traps • Unfair trade agreements • Political interference • Resource control • Cultural erasure
THE COLONIAL CONTINUUM
These same colonial powers, alongside the USA, are now ignoring the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order and are actively pushing forward with another colonial settlement project in Palestine.
The patterns established at the Berlin Conference continue today: arbitrary borders imposed without local consent, resource extraction, population displacement, and systematic violence against indigenous populations.
PEOPLEIZE’S MISSION: AMENDING COLONIAL WRONGS
PEOPLEIZE’s goal is to stop the cycle of exploitation and unite together in creating an equal earth for all.
After a long history of egregious destruction and genocides committed by colonial European countries, one would hope that these nations had learned from their past. Instead, these same colonial powers, alongside the USA, are now ignoring the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order and are actively pushing forward with another colonial settlement project in Palestine.
The people of the world must stop this cycle of exploitation and ensure a future rooted in equality and justice for all.
Decolonize Our World
True transformation begins when we acknowledge historical wrongs and work toward genuine equality. Together, we can build a world where all peoples have sovereignty over their lands, resources, and futures.