The Berlin Conference 1884/1885

The Berlin Africa Conference of 1884/1885 was and remains a controversial event of global significance. At the invitation of the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and the French Prime Minister Jules Ferry, ambassadors from 13 European powers and the United States gathered in Berlin to negotiate free trade on the Niger and Congo rivers, the suppression of the slave trade, the legal terms of territorial acquisition, and the settlement of international disputes. 140 years on, this anthology sheds light on the interests of some of the powers and actors involved in the conference, including the Ottoman Empire, which has often been overlooked in this context. Above all, however, the essays in this collection examine the immediate and long-term consequences of the conference for the African regions which were the subject of the negotiations but not represented in Berlin.

• Volume editor Holger Afflerbach
• Volume editor Sabine Mangold-Will
• Volume editor Ulf Morgenstern
• Volume editor Joachim Scholtyseck