Britain's Colonial History on the African Continent. Influence on Kenya's Culture and Society

Abstract or Introduction

This paper gives a summarized overview on how the British rule has affected Kenya and its society. The British Empire is known for being the biggest empire the world has ever seen. In 1922, 458 million people lived under the rule of the British crown, more than 20 % of the world's population. Originally, the British were not among the first European nations to discover our planet. Portugal and Spain acted as pioneers in the 15th and 16th century, discovering the world and building great empires that boosted their economies.

The British, along with other European countries such as France and the Netherlands, started to follow this example. During the 17th century, the British Empire established colonies in North- and Central America and Asia. Driven by commercial interests, the British also wanted to dominate the African continent, which was widely recognized as being extremely rich in resources. The first regions were mainly controlled by companies and businessmen who were widely independent of the crown.

The crown soon took over controlling the economic side of things. At first, those colonies were self-managing; the British designated African tribe leaders who controlled the procedures. But the exploitation of resources was not the only economic factor. European nations captured many indigenous people and sold them as slaves on the American continent. During the 19th century, the British started to expand inwards and discovered many opportunities for agricultural projects that could benefit the European market. Competition aroused as many nations fought for land and resources.