Berlin Conference partitioned Africa in:

**The reasoning** The Berlin Conference (also called the Congo Conference) took place from **November 1884 to February 1885**. European powers—Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Belgium, and others—met in Berlin, Germany, to carve up Africa among themselves without a single African representative present. This was the formalization of the "Scramble for Africa." The key principle here is **historical periodization**: recognizing when major colonial events occurred helps you understand cause and effect in African history. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **1900** might seem right because colonial rule was well-established by then, but the *partitioning* happened earlier. - **1914** tempts you because it's when WWI began (which later reshaped some African borders), but the Conference was 30 years before. - **1945** is post-WWII when decolonization *began*—the exact opposite of partitioning. **Quick takeaway** Think "**1884–85: Europe divided Africa**"—it happened in the 1880s, during the height of European imperial greed, not during the wars of the 1900s or the independence era afterward.