Also important in the 1880s was the unification of African trade and the spread of Islam and
Christianity. Before the 1880s, only certain sections of this enormous landmass were connected by
trade. Earlier trade and missionary work was based on the coasts because travel to the interior was so
difficult. By the late 19th century, the Congo River and its tributaries had become important trade
"highways" that linked land and sea routes throughout Africa. Merchants from a trade network
in Southern Africa met Muslim traders from the trans-Saharan trade network and from the Swahili
Coast. The spread of ideas and trade made African leaders feel optimistic. In 1884, at the Berlin
Conference, Britain, France, and Belgium partitioned the area around the Congo River, thereby
destabilizing the new patterns of trade and communication. Losing control of such an important
and developing area at that moment changed the trajectory of African history.
What’s the main idea?