South Africa

From Isolation to Regional Power Status

Abstract

South Africa has played an exceptional role in the history of Africa since the 17th century. On the one hand, the first significant European colony was established here on the continent, and on the other hand, until the opening of the Suez Canal, the southern tip of Africa was the most important intersection of trade routes, whose Portuguese, Dutch and then British control reflected the changes in European power relations. In the 19th and 20th centuries, South Africa's importance only grew. While the "mfecane" that ethnically reshaped almost half of the continent originated from its eastern territories, the Cape War continued to expand further into the interior of the continent. The discovery of South Africa's diamond and gold deposits in the 1880s gave this area serious global economic weight, which has maintained this exceptional position in Africa to this day.