What is the Mfecane and why did it happen?
THE CAUSES OF THE MFECANE AND WHY IT SPREAD SO FAR The Mfecane refers to a period of time in Southern Africa where there was political transformation and population migration during the 1820s and 1830s. The word Mfecane is a Zulu word meaning "crushing" or "scattering",which was exactly what happened during the Mfecane.
What caused the Mfecane in southern Africa?
Southern Africa: Causes of the Mfecane. Given the turbulence caused by slave raiding in east- and west-central Africa, it is tempting to blame this for the unprecedented warfare in Southern Africa in the second and third decades of the 19th century; the Mfecane, or Difaqane (“Crushing”), as this warfare is….
What is Mfecane essay?
The Mfecane Essay...PRE COLONIAL AFRICAN STATES SOUTHERN (1800-1900) THE MFECANE This is a Nguni term which for forced migrations of various Nguni speaking communities. This took place in the South Eastern part of South Africa in the period between 1810-1860.
Why is the Mfecane considered a single event?
The Mfecane can be said to be a single event because all the wars that became the Mfecane and eventually led to the rise of the Zulu state were interconnected.The series of wars that came to be known as the Mfecane happened between the 1820s and 1830s along the coast and in valleys of Southern Africa especially the Pongola River valley.
What was the cause of the Mfecane?
What is the MFECANE?
Why did Mfecane spread?
When was Mfecane used?
What were the main causes of WW1?
See more
About this website
What was the causes of Mfecane?
Among the causes of the Mfecane include overpopulation, refugee problems and drought and famine. First of all, the population explosion in the area of Southern Africa among the Nguni people led to wars that opened the way for the Mfecane.
What is meant by Mfecane?
Mfecane, (Zulu: “The Crushing”) , Sotho Difaqane, series of Zulu and other Nguni wars and forced migrations of the second and third decades of the 19th century that changed the demographic, social, and political configuration of southern and central Africa and parts of eastern Africa.
What were the causes and effects of Mfecane?
The mfecane was caused by a number of inter-related factors including environmental and societal changes, as well as severe conflict and fear among the people of southern Africa. It affected the continent as far north as Malawi.
What are the causes and effects of Mfecane PDF?
Causes of Mfecane They identified population explosion, the introduction of maize by the Portuguese, land shortage and hunger, new military tactics and weapons development, and the change in society to formation of age regiments. These factors will be briefly examined below.
When did the Mfecane start?
1815 – 1840Mfecane / Period
What are the causes of Ngoni migration?
The Ngoni migrated due to the tyrannical and dictatorial rule of Shaka: The Zulu ruler was cruel in nature as he severely tortured people and those who failed to respond to his order were killed. Due to this some people decided to seek refuge by migrating to other areas.
What were the causes of the Great Trek?
The Great Trek resulted from the culmination of tensions between rural descendants of the Cape's original European settlers, known collectively as Boers, and the British Empire.
What was Shaka's surname?
Shaka kaSenzangakhonaShaka / Full nameThis is how Shaka got this name. So, he was Shaka kaSenzangakhona, with Senzangakhona being his father. In those days your father's name became your surname. Shaka's grandfather's name was Zulu.
What are the similarities between the Great Trek and the Mfecane?
The Mfecane and the Great Trek both illustrated instances of mass migration across southernand central Africa. The Zulu spread militarily under Shaka in the Mfecane. Shaka's startgey wasbuilt on force and brutality.
Who started the Mfecane?
European Colonization. Euro-centric historians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries regarded the mfecane as the result of aggressive nation-building by the Zulu under the rule of Shaka and the Nbebele under Mzilikazi.
Who is the father of Soshangane?
Zikode kaGasaSoshangane was born in ca 1780 in modern-day KwaNongoma, KwaZulu to Zikode kaGasa, a chief of the junior branch (iKohlo) of the Ndwandwe.
The Causes and Impact of the Mfecane in South Africa Essay
Dax Gaston Dax is a professional writer. He has been cooperating with students since 2014. Having obtained an M.A. degree in 2015, he specializes in Academic Writing, English, and Literature.
Causes Of Mfecane - 1843 Words | Bartleby
Explaining Mfecane as a multipolar cause and showing the flaws in the unipolar cause schools of thought. Introduction. During the 1820’s the southern area of Africa went through a drastic population growth and radical social, political changes, economic and ecological changes.
The Causes Of The Mfecane In South Africa | ipl.org
The Native Americans were forced to travel to the east of Mississippi. This trip was brutal on them and it took a lot of lives. The Native Americans went through several wars and massacres in order to try and save their land which ended up taking a lot of Native Americans lives.
The Causes Of The Mfecane In Southern Africa - 777 Words | Studymode
AGE BETWEEN 1850-1914 IN AFRICA Kelcie Plank World Cultures Unit 1: Lesson 6 New Imperial Age of Africa Occurred between 1850-1914 The new imperialism focused mainly on declining empires and local wars left many states vulnerable Many states were weakened by slave trade Nationalism produced strong, centrally governed nation-states Industrial Revolution made economy stronger European ...
Where did the Mfecane impact?
The impact of the Mfecane was felt far beyond South Africa, as peoples fled from Shaka’s armies as far as Tanzania and Malawi in the northeast (the Ngoni) and Barotseland, in Zambia, to the northwest (the Kololo).
Which kingdoms were created by the Mfecane?
At the same time, however, as a result of the Mfecane, some of the most formidable kingdoms to oppose white penetration were created—the Sotho, Swazi, and Ndebele, as well as the Gaza of Mozambique.
What were the causes of Mfecane?
In summary, the causes of mfecane are; the need for land, population growth in Natal, Shaka's military and expansionist strategy.
Who was the professor who argued that the Mfecane were a self-serving, constructed product
The "Cobbing Controversy". In 1988, Rhodes University professor Julian Cobbing advanced a different hypothesis on the rise of the Zulu state; he contended the accounts of the Mfecane were a self-serving, constructed product of apartheid politicians and historians.
What enabled Shaka to field more impis?
The agricultural surpluses and increased population enabled Shaka to field more impis. By the end of the 18th century, the Zulus occupied much of their arable land. Declining rainfall and a ten-year drought in the early 19th century set off a competition for land and water resources among the peoples of the area.
What were the causes of the Mfecane?
Before the effects of the Mfecane is discussed it is important to look at factors that led to the Mfecane.Among the causes of the Mfecane include overpopulation, refugee problems and drought and famine. First of all, the population explosion in the area of Southern Africa among the Nguni people led to wars that opened the way for the Mfecane.
What were the factors that led to the Mfecane?
Another one of the factors that led to the Mfecane was the refugee problem created by the wars.
What does Mfecane mean?
Mfecane is an Nguni word which means ‘crushing’ and was used by the Nguni to describe the violent wars that tore apart Central and Southern Africa between 1820 and1835. The Sotho refers to the Mfecane as the Defecane or Lifaquane, which means forced migration.
Why is the Mfecane a single event?
The Mfecane can be said to be a single event because all the wars that became the Mfecane and eventually led to the rise of the Zulu state were interconnected.The series of wars that came to be known as the Mfecane happened between the 1820s and 1830s along the coast and in valleys of Southern Africa especially the Pongola River valley.
Who was the leader of the Mfecane?
The three powerful states that became involved in the Mfecane at the initial stages were the Ndwandwe led by Zwide, the Mthethwa led by Dingiswayo and the Ngwane led by Sobhuza and their expansionist ideas were ultimately crashed by Shaka the Zulu who in turn attained the biggest state in the region of Central and Southern Africa.
What was the cause of the Mfecane?
Originally, everyone believed it was exclusively due to the rise and expansion of the Zulu nation under the rule of Shaka, but more recently, historians believe that although this played a major role in the cause of the Mfecane, it was by no means the sole cause . There are now many additional theories on what else contributed to the Mfecane.
What is the MFECANE?
...PRE COLONIAL AFRICAN STATES SOUTHERN (1800-1900) THE MFECANE This is a Nguni term which for forced migrations of various Nguni speaking communities. This took place in the South Eastern part of South Africa in the period between 1810-1860. The Nguni speaking communities include the following: Xhosa, Swazi, Zulu, and Ndebele etc. Many historians have found it difficult to explain the causes of these migrants however population and land pressure amongst these groups living between Drakensbura and Living Ocean was the single most important factors. However, this theory is baseless as it lacks statistical information. Reasons for the Mfecane : -Over population -Evolution of age-grade system. This systems evolved from being a single age grade system to age regiments from one area to another. This was dedicated to professional warfare as the reason for their existence. Shaka, for example was one of the many great Nguni leaders who exploited the age grade systems and turned them into powerful military forces used to conquer neighbouring states to form his own state. Other leaders who used the age grade systems were: Zwide, Dingishwayo and Mosheshwe. Results of the Mfecane -Spread of zulu type military systems 1. The short stabbing spear (the assegai) was used instead of the long throwing spear. It was more effective. 2. New fighting tactics were also used such as the bullhorn formation. This was when the...
Why did Mfecane spread?
There are various reasons about what led to the Mfecane ,such as environmental factors,lack of food and certain chiefdoms expand ing and extending their power,some of these reasons have even been outdated. These reasons could also explain why the Mfecane spread as far the Cape Colony up to East and Central Africa.
When was Mfecane used?
In recent times historians known as “Africanists” revived the topic of the mfecane in the early 1960s and it was well exploited and was also used to justify certain aspects of Apatheid.
What were the main causes of WW1?
On one side was Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (Triple Alliance known as the Central Powers) and France, Britain and Russia (Triple Entente known as the Entente Powers) on the other side.
Overview
The Mfecane , also known by the Sesotho names Difaqane or Lifaqane (all meaning "crushing, scattering, forced dispersal, forced migration") is a historical period of heightened military conflict and migration associated with state formation and expansion in Southern Africa. The exact range of dates that comprise the Mfecane varies between sources. At its broadest the period last…
Causes
Theories vary as to the causes of the catastrophic warfare and migration of many ethnic groups in the area. Populations had increased greatly in Zululand following the Portuguese introduction of maize from the Americas in the late 17th century, reaching the inland around 1750. While maize was more productive than the grains from native grasses, it required more water during cultivation. The agricultural surpluses and increased population enabled Shaka to field more impis. …
Rise of the Zulu Kingdom
In about 1817, Chief Dingiswayo of the Mthethwa group in the south near the Tugela River, entered into an alliance with the Tsongas, who controlled the trade routes to Delagoa Bay (now Maputo). This alliance encroached on the routes used by the Ndwandwe alliance, who occupied the region in the north, near the Pongola River. Battles between the allied forces of Chief Dingiswayo and of Chief Zwide, and the Ndwandwe probably mark the start of what became the Mfecane.
Consequences for the Nguni Societies
Around 1821, the Zulu general Mzilikazi of the Khumalo clan defied Zulu king Shaka, and set up his own kingdom. He quickly made many enemies: not only the Zulu king, but also the Boers, and the Griqua and Tswana. Defeats in several clashes convinced Mzilikazi to move north towards Swaziland. Going north and then inland westward along the watershed between the Vaal and the Limpopo riv…
Consequences for the Sotho-Tswana peoples
Southern Tswana populations had experienced an increase in conflict as early as the 1780s. There was significant population growth in the region which lead to more competition for resources. There was an increasing amount of trade with the Cape colony and the Portuguese; this had the consequence of separate chiefdoms becoming more eager to conquer land for themselves in order to control trade routes. Dutch settlers from the Cape Colony encroaching up…
Controversy
In 1988, Rhodes University professor Julian Cobbing advanced a different hypothesis on the rise of the Zulu state; he contended the accounts of the Mfecane were a self-serving, constructed product of apartheid-era politicians and historians. According to Cobbing, apartheid-era historians had mischaracterised the Mfecane as a period of internally induced Black-on-Black destruction. Instead, Cobbing argued that the roots of the conflicts laid in the labour needs of Portuguese sla…