The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 set the ground rules for the colonization of Africa by European powers. The event helped to ease tensions that were growing as a result of the competition for resources in Africa. It had a dramatic and lasting negative impact on the nations of Africa. They lost the ability to govern their own people and develop their economies. African natural resources were essentially stolen from them for the betterment of the European industrial economies. This impact is still felt in Africa today as they struggle to develop. The Europeans also stripped the Africans of their cultural identity and history. For the African to get ahead, they were forced to assimilate to European ways. The Berlin Conference also demarcated boundaries that did not collaborate along ethnic and tribal lines. This action caused a great deal of stress within the African states after Europeans left in the 1950's.
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