European expansion into Africa began as early as the 15thcentury, but one of the most aggressive periods of colonization, known as the Scramble for Africa, took place in the 19thcentury. In the late 1800s, countries fought to become the undisputed top power in Europe. The European countries justified the expansion into Africa with claims to spread civilization, educate natives, eradicate the slave trade, and to spread Christianity to the continent. Although these may be true in true in some respects, the real driving forces behind colonization were mostly economic and political.With the industrial revolution in full swing in the 19thcentury too, European countries sought economic advantages and found them in African colonization. Europeans saw great value in the bountiful raw materials available in unclaimed parts of Africa, namely the Congo and the Niger (Iweriebor). The challenge during the revolution was not only to develop innovative manufacturing process, but also to do so as profitable as possible. With the untapped potential for cheap materials in Africa, Europeans needed little other reason to attempt colonization. With control in these areas, a country would obtain great economic advantage over neighboring powers by being able to provide manufacturing materials to it and other countries. Another economic advantage to African colonization stemmed from the overproduction of goods in Europe with not enough financially stable consumers to purchase them (Saylor). European capitalists identified the opportunity to open markets in Africa once expanded. This was ideal for numerous countries in the race for Africa, as new guaranteed markets for manufactured goods meant great financial stability for certain industries. The potential for these new markets and valuable raw materials spurred the economic motives behind African expansion.The struggle for power in Europe created political agendas backing colonization. Treaties in result of late 19thcentury wars, specifically the Franco-German and Russo-Turkish Wars, had a heavy influence on African expansion (Ohaegbulam). The nation-states of Europe experienced relative peace amongst each other following these events and a balance of power. This drove the desire for political control over each other, and global expansion was seen as an upper hand. Without domestic disputes taking place in Europe, nations turned their focus to gaining control of divided areas in Africa. The treaties and state of equilibrium allowed European countries to compete for colonies without resulting in war. Expansion into Africa simply turned into a political chess match. Nations believed that colonies would provide prestige on a global scale and potentially more power in Europe. The Scramble for Africa was fueled greatly by political motives.European countries in the 19thcentury found many advantages in entering the race to expand into Africa. With struggling economies and the industrial revolution well under way, nations saw the value of the raw materials and potential markets in unclaimed parts of Africa. Additionally, with no clear leading power in Europe, countries gained political advantage over their neighbors by establishing colonies in another continent. Although European scholars claim that the inhumane colonization of African civilizations was for educational and religious purposes, evidence found in that era proves that their motives were not so