Chapter 16: Africa: Decolonization and independence, 1945–2024
The post-war period saw independence come to Africa. This proved to be a drawn-out process as the interaction between European colonialism and the Cold War meant that black majority rule only finally triumphed over the whole continent in 1994. The nature of post-colonial Africa was not predetermined. Some statesmen, such as Kwame Nkrumah espoused pan-Africanist ideas, but eventually the nation-state model triumphed. In part this was due to the weight of the colonial legacy. The latter also had an important role in shaping the nature of the new African states. The experience of nationalists under colonial rule and the institutions they inherited from the Europeans created the foundations for the establishment of one-party states that relied on clientelism to remain in power. Over time there was a move towards greater pluralism, the holding of free elections and market economies, but the reputation of Africa was compromised by a series of major wars and the remaining vestiges of corruption and dictatorship.
Multiple Choice Questions
Exam Questions
Discussion Questions
How did the Second World War influence patterns of imperial rule in Africa?
How successful were European attempts at repression in maintaining imperial rule in Africa after 1945?
To what extent was pan-Africanism successful in unifying Africa?
How did southern African states differ from those elsewhere in Africa in their journey towards independence?
What was the importance of the Congo Crisis to African international relations in the 1960s?
How was South Africa able to persist with apartheid for so long?
What role did foreign countries play in African political instability in the 1970s?
Account for the end of apartheid in South Africa by 1990.
How has democracy gradually established itself in Africa since the 1960s?
What are some of the challenges Africa has experienced in modernizing since the 1970s?
Exam Questions
To what extent was the process of decolonization directed by Europe as a planned endeavor?
How did Cold War politics influence Africa, 1945-1989?
How has empire continued to shape Africa since independence in the 1950s-1960s?
Weblinks
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1958-aapc-res1.asp – text of 1958 resolution on imperialism and colonialism at Accra
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1961nkrumah.asp – text of 1961 Nkrumah speech on African freedom and unity
http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/small/cab-66-60-wp-44-753-3.pdf – text of British Cabinet memorandum on African imperial development 1944
http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/small/cab-128-30-cm-56-64-64.pdf – text of British Cabinet conclusion on African independence 1956
http://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/wind_of_change.htm – text and audio of Macmillan Winds of Change speech in South Africa 1960
http://www.blackpast.org/arusha-declaration-1967 – Arusha Declaration of 1967 on African socialism
http://www.blackpast.org/founding-charter-organization-african-unity – text of 1963 OAU Charter
http://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/free_at_last.htm – text of Nelson Mandela speech 1994
http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/small/cab-129-108-cp-22.pdf – Cabinet memorandum on Kenyan independence 1962
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/mandela/mandelaspeech.html – Nelson Mandela “I am prepared to die” speech before South African court 1964
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