JAMB History 2012 Paper

Concept:European diplomacy centred on the colonising powers settling their own territorial disputes.Explanation:During the scramble for Africa, European nations made rival claims to African territories.Instead of going to war over these claims, they gathered at international conferences, such as the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885.At these meetings, the European powers negotiated directly with one another and signed treaties to settle their disagreements.They drew boundary lines and agreed on spheres of influence.They did not hold Africans hostage, nor did they treat African leaders as equal partners in these negotiations.The main feature of this diplomacy was the peaceful reconciliation of their competing territorial claims among themselves.Hence, the process is best described as reconciling differences over territorial claims.Answer:D. Reconciling differences over territorial claims.