Question

Why did European employers find it difficult to recruit labour in Africa during the 1890s?

Answer 1

Hint: Africa is the world's second-largest continent and the world's second-most populous continent, both after Asia. It spans 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area, with a total size of 30.3 million km square (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands. It is home to about 16 percent of the world's population, with 1.3 billion people as of 2018.

Complete answer:
In comparison to its small population, Africa had plenty of territories. Land and livestock provided a source of income for the inhabitants. They didn't feel compelled to work for a living. As a result, European firms found it difficult to find workers in Africa. Because of history, European firms found it difficult to recruit workers in Africa. Africa had a large amount of land and a small population. Land and animals have maintained African livelihoods for centuries, and people rarely work for pay.

Methods for attracting and retaining workers include:
(i) High taxes: The colonial government began levying high taxes that could only be paid by working on plantations and mines for wages.
(ii) New inheritance rules: Inheritance laws were amended to force peasants off their property: only one member of a family could inherit the land, while the rest were forced into the labour market.
(iii) Movement restrictions: Miners were also confined to compounds and were not permitted to roam around freely.

Note: To entice labour, Europeans levied high levies that could only be paid by labouring on plantations and mines for wages. They modified inheritance laws to force peasants off their property by allowing only one member of a family to inherit. Others were forced out of the labour market as a result of this.