THE COLONIAL EXPANSION OF AFRICA AND THE FORMATION OF A NEW WORLD ORDER (the end of the XIXth – the beginning of the XXthcenturies)

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to investigate the process of colonization of South Africa, namely the colonial rivalry of the world's leading powers, which gave an impulse to another major division of the world. Through the lens of geopolitical transformations of the past, to explain contemporary bipolarity. The methodology of the research is based on the principles of science, historicism, as well as the use of general scientific methods (analysis and synthesis) and special historical methods (methods of historiographic and source analysis). The scientific novelty is that through the prism of one situational colonial conflict the strategic landmarks of the leading countries of the world, which in the future will cause wars during the XXth century; lay the foundations of a modern post-bipolarity. The Conclusions. In the early 90-ies of the XIXth century the colonial division of the African continent was completed, making major adjustments to the world politics. In the history of the twentieth-century wars, the Boer War was the first, not only statistically, but also one that marked a change in the established world order. Thanks to the new colonial conquest, Germany became a leader in “world politics”, and England, on the contrary, lost its colonial dominance. The Portuguese possessions in the Sunda archipelago were divided between England and Germany. Russia was preparing for expansion in the Far East, Middle East and Central Asia. Thus, the uneven economic development of countries and regions caused the corresponding content of international relations, which focused on the formation of military-political alliances. The ideas of pacifism led to the emergence of such organizations as the Institute of International Law (1873), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (1887), and the Nobel Committee. Two peace conferences were convened in The Hague in 1899 and 1907. Unfortunately, this could no longer stop the interests of monopolies and the ambitions of politicians. The current world politics of appeasement of the Russian aggression by the leading countries, the struggle for impact on the periphery, the peoples' desire for self-determination without taking into account the experience of the historical past, unfortunately, does not add optimism to the future geopolitical transformations.