Beginning in 1880, there was a growing desire for European countries to expand and control their rule. The only continent at that time that was left uncontrolled and, in the European’s eyes uncivilized, was Africa. This was the start of Western Imperialism. All European countries wanted their piece of Africa and to get it, they would let nothing stand in their way. They would change the entire government, religion, market, and behavior of most of the African nation and affect almost every person living there. An account of the impact of Imperialism is given in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. This book shows the changes that occurred in Africa during Imperialism and its affect on the community and the people of the tribes that existed there.During the Western Imperialism era there were many changes made in Africa. One of the major changes that took place was that of religion. Most of the African tribes had their own religion and it was most of the time, polytheistic, with many Gods. When the Europeans came to these villages they brought the religion of Christianity with them. The European missionaries tried, and many times succeeded, in converting the people of Africa to Christianity. In Things Fall Apart there is a good example of this. The tribe of the main character Okonkwo has a polytheistic religion that they have followed for as long as they can remember. When the Europeans get there they build a church and the missionaries that came get many of the people to convert to Christianity. Okonkwo is one of the few who sticks to the traditional view and keeps his original religion. This changing of religion was a very important event that occurred in Africa but another important result of Imperialism in Africa was a change in Government.When the Europeans got to Africa they brought with them their governments and enforced them as if they were the new governments of the Africans. Most African tribes had th...
