The Berlin West African Conference of 1884–1885 established rules that European powers used to justify occupation and administration in Africa.
Berlin Conference
European powers discussed the occupation of African territories, trade and navigation. The principle of effective occupation encouraged colonial powers to establish administrations on the ground.
German Expansion
Germany used treaties, trading companies, explorers, missionaries and military expeditions to expand from the coast into the interior.
Methods of Consolidation
- Military force and punitive expeditions.
- Treaties with chiefs and the appointment of local intermediaries.
- Trading companies, plantations, roads and administrative stations.
- Indirect rule and coercive taxation.
Effects on Cameroon
German consolidation expanded colonial territory, disrupted existing political systems and integrated communities into a colonial economy.
