The Berlin Conference (1884-1885) and its repercussions on Europe

Abstract

As a result of the tension and turmoil that accompanied the European movements in the African continent, which had political repercussions on the international situation in Europe, some voices emerged calling for the settlement of disputes by peaceful and diplomatic means, by calling for an international conference in which the disputed issues on the African continent are discussed, so the Second Berlin Conference in West Africa was the most prominent of these conferences, held on (15 November 1884 and 26 February 1885) under the chairmanship of Otto von Bismarck. Almost most of the European countries participated in it, namely Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America, and the conference was attended at the invitation of representatives of Tsarist Russia, the Empire of Austria-Hungary, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and the Scandinavian countries. The summit between Great Britain and Germany about North-West Africa was convened at the suggestion of Portugal, which claimed its right to control the interior of the Congo, France and Germany supported this proposal. At the same time, the conference for peace in Africa was also a process of sharing between them, and instead of these wars, each country took a share of it. This research has resulted in an introduction, two axes, and a conclusion: The first topic: the reasons for convening the Second Berlin Conference and its results. The second topic: the political and economic repercussions of the conference on Europe.