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The Only Two Countries In Africa To Escape Colonization
How these two nations escaped while the rest could not
European colonization of Africa began in the 17th century when the Duch East India Company founded Cape Town at the bottom of the continent. The modest port was to serve as a European stopover for ships sailing from western Europe to Asia by way of Africa. From that point, European appetite for African lands only grew until it cumulated in the Scramble For Africa in the 19th century.
Nearly every great power got into the act of colonizing the African continent. Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, The Netherlands, and even the United States all had fingers in African colonization. European influence spread across the continent and eventually swallowed up nearly every square inch of land.
When it was all said and done, only two nations escaped the icy grip of European colonial control: Ethiopia and Liberia.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations on Earth. The country dates back to the fifth century BCE and has gone by numerous names, including Abyssinia and Axum. While Ethiopia has fought numerous wars over the ensuing centuries, it has never been formally colonized by outside European powers.
The Italians attempted to colonize Ethiopia in 1895 but were ultimately unsuccessful. The Italians underestimated the Ethiopian military and suffered an inglorious defeat at the Battle of Adwa, where the Italians suffered a serious blow to their international prestige and goals.
After the Ethiopian victory over the Italians, other nations thought twice about trying to militarily intervene in the ancient African nation. No one else wanted to suffer a downfall as the Italians had at Adwa. The Italians lost a lot of leverage and prestige at Adwa which hurt their later colonization efforts.
In 1936, Benito Mussolini launched a second war against Ethiopia. This time, the Italians were successful, but they never integrated Ethiopia. The resulting victory ended in a military occupation that was dissolved in 1941. Ethiopia was technically conquered but not colonized. The occupation ended, and full sovereignty was restored without any lasting Italian influences.
