... territory of the enemy, but their efforts were to no avail. There were deep and painful conflicts among the countries of Europe that led to the unprecedented calamity of a war that lasted four and a half years, that killed more Europeans and Africans than any event since and that altered the shape of European life forever. The results of World war one lasted well into the decades that followed and indeed was a catalyst for World War Two. So even before the war had finished the impact on Europe's colonial presence in Africa was starting to show. In general, the great question of the era was the future role of Germany. United only since 1871, imperial Germany had rapidly emerged as the dominant industrial and military power on the continent. By the close of the century leaders in Berlin were committed to playing an equally great role in European ...

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