In the latter decades of the 19th century, the superpowers of Europe were not enjoying cordial relations with each other. Their animosity wasn't limited to political and military squabbles. Registering poor balances of trade, these empires were economic rivals, too, but they uniformly cast a covetous eye towards mineral-rich Africa.
Between the 1870s and the advent of the 20th century, the European invasion and colonisation of the continent claimed almost every territory in what became known as the Scramble for Africa. Despite their mistrust of each other, the race to
