NCERT · Class 10 · Social Science · History: The Making of a Global WorldWhat was the Rinderpest and how did it affect Africa in the late 19th century?

Rinderpest was a devastating cattle plague that arrived in Africa in the late 1880s via infected cattle imported from British Asia. It killed about 90 percent of Africa's cattle. This loss destroyed local livelihoods, forced Africans into the labor market, and allowed European colonizers to easily conquer and subjugate the African continent.