Lvolume 5 covers the history of Africa from the beginning of the XNUMXth century to the end of the XNUMXth century. Two major themes emerge. The continued internal development of African states and cultures during this period and Africa's increasing participation in international trade. In North Africa, we see the Ottomans conquering Egypt and establishing regencies in Tripoli, Tunis and Algiers. South of the Sahara, the collapse of some older powers (Songhay Empire, kingdoms of western Sudan, Christian Ethiopia) coincides with the emergence of new power bases (Ashanti kingdoms, Dahomey, Sakalava). Very centralized political and administrative structures were set up, leading to the appearance of distinct social classes, and often presenting a pronounced feudal character. Traditional religions continue to coexist with Christianity (rather on the decline) and Islam (on the rise).
Along the coast, especially in West Africa, Europeans are weaving a trade network which, with the development of New World plantation agriculture, will become the center of the international slave trade. The immediate consequences of this trade for Africa are analyzed, with in particular the idea that trafficking was the germ of the current globalization of the economy, with all the inequalities it entails.