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Up until the late 19th century, the European powers were not interested in colonization at all. They had a number of trading posts along the coast and they could export any commodity out of a region simply by concluding trade and price arrangements with local rulers.

Colonization of Africa strangely enough was in most cases triggered by the abolition of slavery by the Western countries themselves, earlier in the century. Slavery and slave trade - of Africans BY Africans and Arabs - remained widespread in Africa, with local rulers unwilling to abolish it. Most colonization activities were justified as the only means of ending slavery there. In actual fact, that was indeed always one of the first measures taken by (usually) the French and British once they had claimed a country.

Later on, having colonies became somewhat of a status symbol and (mainly) England and France started claiming lands in Africa as colonies just because the other did it as well. England focused on East Africa to keep control of the sea route to the only colonial posession it REALLY valued, namely India. But to the end of the colonization period around the turn of the 20th century, abolition of slavery was always one of the first things on the agenda.

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