What motivated European imperialism and why was it so successful in Africa?
European Imperialism stemmed from a long tradition of monarchies. When European civilizations were developing, they were based on Ancient Roman and Greek leadership models in which “the few” ruled “the many.” In Ancient Rome, for example, a very small, elite group of families, known as “The Patricians” ruled. They were extremely powerful, but depended on the loyalty of the politically weak masses. They formed a “Patron/Client” relationship, where the powerful families (the Patrons) would do favors for and help the poor (the Clients) in exchange for loyalty and support. This model worked very well and in most European countries “Royal” families came into power (usually through brute force and lots of violence) and had to have the support of everyone else in order to rule. This system worked for centuries and one of the most important features of Imperialism was the conquering of vast lands or “empires”. European leaders were never satisfied with the amount of power and land that they ow
