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turning it over to the United Nations to become a Trust Territory. The United
Nations refused, but South Africa began slowly strengthening its control
in the territory. South West Africa became the longest lasting League of
Nations Mandate, since it did not go through the process of change other
mandates had after the creation of the United Nations. The regulations
governing mandates were much more relaxed than those governing
Trust Territories or Non-Self-Governing Territories, and the emphasis on
achieving self-determination was much less.
THE BERLIN CONFERENCE
During the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, the colonial
powers of Europe carved up Africa, providing for the
partitioning of 90 percent of the continent. At the time,
Britain, France, and Germany, among others, looked to exploit
Africa’s vast natural resources. The conference formalized the
spheres of influence in Africa, but the process of colonization
would come later in the following century.
Chapter Five