The early colonial years brought political humiliation for Africans. Scores of African rulers died on the battlefield; many more were executed or exiled after defeat. Those who signed treaties and remained as protected rulers soon found themselves demoted from king to chief and required to collect taxes or recruit laborers for their French and German overlords. At a later stage most were dismissed altogether.

For the European colonizers, the early colonial years were a time of triumph and self-satisfaction. The conquest itself was high adventure for European officers. They faced great dangers, but success brought the rewards and recognition due to a hero. And even when the thrill of conquest gave way to the more mundane work of administration, the rewards remained great. A French man in his twenties, newly out of school, might find himself to be a commandant de cercle with complete authority over 200,000 people. He could accept, if he wished, the offers of gifts and women from subjects who sought his good will. Or, for those who refused to pay taxes, he could burn their villages and impose punitive fines in the near-certain knowledge that the governor would back him up.

Beyond this simple picture of European triumph and African humiliation, however, lies a more complicated and more important story of political change. Some Africans led distinguished and successful political careers, and some Europeans fell from power in defeat and scandal. Further, and quite aside from the ups and downs of individual political careers, the colonial era brought structural change to African politics.