Question 1

In his 1915 essay “The African Roots of War,” Du Bois argued that European imperial competition in Africa was a key cause of World War I. How does this causal explanation challenge conventional understandings of the war’s origins, and what does it suggest about the relationship between colonialism and global conflict?

Answer

It proposes that African resistance to colonialism directly triggered the conflict between European powers.

It argues that competition for African resources and markets intensified European rivalries, contributing significantly to the outbreak of war.

It suggests that the immediate political tensions in Europe were the sole cause of the war, independent of colonial factors.

It claims that the war was primarily caused by a desire to end colonial rule in Africa.