What was the Berlin Conference and Purpose?
Berlin Conference was a meeting of 14 European countries and the United States that took place in Berlin, Germany, from November 1884 to February 1885. Main purpose of the conference was to regulate the colonization and trade of Africa among the European powers. Conference was also known as the Congo Conference or the West Africa Conference . Berlin Conference was initiated by Portugal, which wanted to secure its claims to the Congo River basin. However, other European countries, such as Britain, France , Germany , and Belgium , also had interests and ambitions in Africa. The conference was convened by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck , who wanted to establish Germany as a colonial power and prevent conflicts among the European rivals. Berlin Conference resulted in the General Act of the Berlin Conference , which laid down the rules and principles for the partition of Africa. The main points of the General Act were: Principle of effective occupation, which stated that a country had