ShmoopTube

00:04

The Europeans had actually controlled North Africa for centuries before the colonial era. [Man with 'Europe' name badge playing a video game]

00:09

Starting around the year 1500, North Africa fell under the influence of the Ottomans.

00:14

They were a Muslim European/Middle Eastern empire centered in Constantinople, which is

00:20

modern day Istanbul.

00:21

The popular piece of furniture was also first imported to Europe from the Ottoman Empire, [Ottoman stood with footrests/ottomans]

00:26

so…there’s one mystery solved.

00:28

The Ottomans…the human ones…ruled North Africa indirectly by forcing North African

00:33

kings to join their wars or send them tribute. [Ottoman holding a North African King to ransom]

00:36

It was not so much colonialism as it was… bullying other kings for their lunch money. [Ottoman taking money off the king]

00:42

The only exception was Egypt.

00:43

The Ottomans needed direct control of Egypt to guard their trade routes to the Indian

00:48

Ocean.

00:49

Basically, they needed the bridge troll to be their lackey. [A troll under a bridge]

00:52

Until about 1700, the Ottoman Empire was the big kahuna of Europe.

00:55

Their control of trade routes to the Indian Ocean through the Eastern Mediterranean and [Trade routes marked on a map]

01:00

over land through Egypt had landed them in the Number 1 position.

01:04

But we all know nobody can be Number 1 for long…

01:07

The Ottomans’ trade routes were becoming old news, because people were sailing around [Someone reading a newspaper]

01:11

the Cape of South Africa.

01:13

By 1700, the Ottomans were singing the blues and longing for their yesterdays. [Group of Ottomans crying together]

01:17

And by 1790 they were getting a serious beat-down from their enemies in Europe and Central Asia. [Europe and Central Asia hitting an Ottoman]

01:23

By the time 1798 rolled around, the Ottomans looked weak enough for the French to invade

01:27

Egypt and try to take over the Red Sea trade routes. [French move into Egypt on the map]

01:30

The Ottomans invited the British to help kick the French out.

01:33

But as Americans know, when you give the British an inch, pretty soon they're taxing your tea

01:37

and making you, uh…stamp everything. [British soldier stamping everything]

01:40

In 1805, the British installed a puppet ruler…and no, Gepetto wasn’t qualified for this gig…

01:45

…named, yes, Muhammad Ali.

01:48

It was a different Muhammad Ali... [Picture of Muhammad Ali]

01:49

But he did help Britain control trade routes to the Indian Ocean.

01:53

Because India was Britain's most important territory by a mile, Egypt became Britain's

01:59

second-most important colony, just because it had a route to India.

02:02

Egypt and Sudan became even bigger deals in the 1860s, when a French company completed [Egypt and Sudan get bigger]

02:07

a centuries-in-the-planning project.

02:10

What was it?

02:11

None other than the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. [Footage of the Suez Canal]

02:16

Taxing and maintaining the Suez Canal became, and remains, one of the largest industries

02:20

in Egypt.

02:21

The rest of North Africa never became as important to Europe as Egypt.

02:25

But it did have a few advantages up its sleeve. [Man pulls the word 'advantages' out his sleeve]

02:27

Like…it could threaten the Mediterranean-Indian trade routes.

02:31

So the French king invaded Algeria in 1830 and expanded east to Tunisia in 1881. [Videos of soldiers advancing]

02:37

Control of the Mediterranean coast was dangerous for Britain.

02:39

But since Britain's navy was still terrifyingly large, the French started looking for more...creative...ways [Frenchmen puts on a mask]

02:46

to threaten the British.

02:47

The French struck out east from their colonies in West Africa, trying to get to the headwaters

02:52

of the Nile River.

02:53

This forced the British to scramble to colonize Sudan and Malawi.

02:57

This provoked a war with a hardline Islamic holy figure in Sudan in 1899… [Soldiers at war]

03:03

North African colonialism was a different beast than colonialism below the Sahara.

03:08

It was weird because European nations were mostly interested in political and military [Man reading 'Military Control Weekly']

03:12

control, not economic exploitation.

03:15

Local economies were left alone…higher education and secondary industry kept on keepin' on.

03:20

On top of that, Muslims and Orthodox Christians kept their religion instead of converting,

03:25

The colonial period in North Africa still…sucked. [Man kicks a rock and hurts his foot]

03:30

European governments mixed their colonial cocktail with secret police, mass murder, [Barman mixing a cocktail]

03:34

property theft, and police repression to keep their power.

03:38

With cocktails like this on the menu, we think countries ought to be like a billion years [Doorman tells European king to leave]

03:42

old before they’re allowed to drink…

Full Transcript