How Europe Divided the World: The Scramble for Asia

The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History · Sep 15, 2026 · 9m · transcript

While much attention is paid to the Berlin Conference's partition of Africa, the late nineteenth century saw a parallel, equally ruthless division of Asia. This episode explores how European powers—primarily Britain, France, Russia, and Germany—carved up the Asian continent through treaties, military conquests, and economic coercion. We examine the strategic importance of the Suez Canal in opening Egypt to British control, the Russo-Japanese tensions that reshaped Central Asia, and the specific mechanisms used to dismantle local sovereignty in India and Southeast Asia. By focusing on…