This essay appeared in the July 1943 issue of Foreign Affairs and was part of a series of reflections on what post-war reconstruction might mean for the colonized world. Du Bois argues that the transatlantic slave trade and the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 that legitimized European territorial claims in Africa were two nodes in a history of a persistently exploitative relationship between Africa and the modern world. He predicts that in the absence of a significant restructuring of international relations, post-war reconstruction in Europe will be paid for by deepening the exploitation of Africa.