The Scramble for the Arctic: Europe's Frozen Empire

The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History · Oct 19, 2026 · 8m · transcript

While historians focus on Africa and Asia, European powers were simultaneously carving up the Arctic Circle in the late nineteenth century. This episode explores the Svalbard Treaty of 1920, which unexpectedly placed a remote archipelago under international supervision, and the geopolitical tug-of-war between Norway, Russia, Britain, and Germany over its coal resources. We look at the scientific expeditions that mapped these frozen shores, the harsh realities of polar survival, and how the dream of opening the Northern Sea Route drove imperial ambition into the ice. From the whaling stations…