The Scramble for the Pacific: Dividing Oceania

The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History · Sep 22, 2026 · 7m · transcript

While Europe’s attention fixated on Africa and Asia, a quieter but equally violent partition was underway across the vast waters of Oceania. This episode explores how imperial powers—Britain, Germany, France, and the United States—carved up the Pacific islands in the late nineteenth century, often ignoring indigenous political structures and local alliances. We examine the specific case of Samoa, where competing interests led to the Tripartite Convention of 1899, dividing the archipelago between Germany and the United States while Britain withdrew its claims. We also look at the annexation of…