The primary focus of this website is the Igbo people who are the subject of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Imperialism changed everything for the Igbo people including their religion, social structure, government, and even their language. However, it is necessary to understand the history of Imperialism in Nigeria in order to understand its impact on the Igbo. The history of colonialism in Nigeria is a long one starting in the late 1700s and continuing until 1960. The British were the primary colonizers of Nigeria, although other countries established missions and trading posts. Europeans first went to Nigeria in the late 1700s in search of slaves during the transatlantic slave trade. However, in 1807 a law was passed by the British parliament that prohibited any British from engaging in slave trade. When this occurred the British still sought commodities in Nigeria such as palm oil and palm kernels. This marked the beginning of the commodities trade that other European countries joined. The commodity trade was considered more profitable because there was less risk than in the slave trade. Another aspect of imperialism in Nigeria was the spread of Christianity. Missionaries sought to spread Christianity throughout Nigeria as early as the 1700s but missions did not become commonplace until the 1840's when Europeans began to establish missions all over Nigeria. The British established a colonial government in 1900, which lasted until 1960. Following the end of British colonialism, Nigeria entered an age of civil war and political turmoil that continues to this day.