The time period after colonialism called for Africans to unite and prosper. The events leading to independence created a new wave of ideology. African socialism, African nationalism, irredentism called for new interaction between the Africans and the European powers that governed them. The evolving role of Africans leaders saw them taking back the power that was snatched from them by the Europeans. It seemed that Africa was deemed to experience a bright future. The new ideologies that emerged with the independence of African countries came with the thoughts of educated African elites. For the “British administrators…the educated Africans before whom he felt uneasy,” (Crowder 1964, 204) one could assume this was due to the …show more content…
Nationalism is defined by Thomson as, “the desire that the nation should be housed in its own sovereign state, [and nation is not limited to borders], it is a collection of people bound together by common values and traditions, often sharing the same language, history and an affiliation to a geographical area” (Thomson 2010, 36). With that definition, African nationalism can be implied that the educated elite Africans cared to rule their own government in their own land. However, it is not that easy. Thomson points out that African nationalism differs from European ideology of …show more content…
This was founded on the desire for Africans to prove their autonomy.
“It is not surprising that most states on the continent adopted a socialist outlook after independence. Having rid their countries of colonial rule, the task now was to reduce dependence on the West, and to restructure economies to ensure that local development needs were prioritised. Only in this manner could poverty be reduced and social welfare be provided for all. Few African leaders considered capitalism and liberalism appropriate methods to achieve these goals…this is not to say that African leaders adopted socialism as prescribed by the Soviet Union.” (Thomson 2010, 38)
After years of domination from the European powers, the African leaders saw the importance of total independence and self-reliance. The conclusion towards socialism was done in effect to promote a since of self. African socialism did not follow the traditional structure of classical socialism (Thomson 2010,
Nationalistic ideas made European countries want to take action in the colonization of Africa. In Document B, the English John Ruskin says, “…seizing every piece of fruitful waste ground she can set her foot on, and there teaching these her colonists … that their first aim is to be to advance the power of England by land and by sea.” This quote shows how the Europeans were proud of their countries and wanted to spread their territories in order to be the best. It can be seen in Document A how the Europeans had already colonized a lot of Africa by the 20th century, with seven countries holding territories by 1914. The idea of nationalism helped push European countries into colonizing Africa, which led to more land for resources and ultimately helped Europe economically.
"The wind of change is blowing through this [African] continent, and whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact. We must all accept it as a fact, and our national policies must take account of it" (Macmillan). This speech, made by the prime minister of England in 1960, highlights the vast changes occurring in Africa at the time. Changes came quickly. Over the next several years, forty-seven African countries attained independence from colonial rule. Many circumstances and events had and were occurring that led to the changes to which he was referring. The decolonization of Africa occurred over time, for a variety of complex reasons, but can be broken down into two major contributing factors: vast changes brought about in the world because of World War II and a growing sense of African nationalism.
When considering what the African diaspora is, there is one period of time that people commonly refer to. This period of time is the Atlantic Slave Trade. While not the only diaspora of the African people in history, the Atlantic Slave Trade is most commonly thought of due to the scale at which Africans were being emigrated, with around 10-15 million Africans being brought over to the Americas, as well as the effect it has on us today. When looking at the experiences of Africans, they greatly differed dependent on where they landed. These experiences affected later generations of Africans, forcing them to adopt their own culture based on their surroundings and what they were accustomed to from Africa.
The African empires, kingdoms, and cities had many achievements before the arrival of the Europeans. Some of these achievements had influences many other places in the world. Three major achievements were the trading systems, their military forces and strengths of its people, and the wealth and success.
European imperialism in Africa caused Africans to lose their independence and culture. After a long time, “the wave of Independence across Africa in the 1950s and 1960s brought to the end around 75
War has been ever present since the beginning of time. The reasons for war will vary from war to war. One type of warfare that has been around for as long as there have been records is civil wars. Since the end of the Second World War in 1945, there have been more than sixteen and a half million people have died from internal conflicts compared to over three million in wars between states (Trei). The big difference means that civil wars are deadlier in recent history compared to war between two different countries. The key point of a civil war is that the government has to be involved in the fighting; usually this means that it is the government forces against a rebel group. Civil wars can be divided into two subsets of wars, ethnic and non-ethnic. In Africa, there has been a high concentration of civil wars since the countries gained independence in the mid 1900’s. Rwanda is a well-known example of a civil war in Africa. Rwanda’s civil war is known around the world as an ethnic civil war. Sudan is another example of a country that has been ravished by civil war because of differences in ethnic groups. There have been fighting around the continent of Africa that has been non-ethnic based civil wars. There are a smaller number of these types of war. A non-ethnic civil war was fought in Mozambique. Another civil war that was fought on a non-ethnic scale was the civil war of Angola. While there have been many different ethnic civil wars there has been a different thought that has become more prevalent recently that states these so called ethnic civil wars are not ethnic based at all but a tool used for other reasons. Whichever way that p...
During the colonial period in Nigeria (from about 1850 to 1960), the British, like any other colonial power, asserted their dominance through a variety of media. The colonial experience of Nigeria and Britain, and Nigeria's early post-colonial history can be described, roughly chronologically, in three phases or periods: the formation of a ‘captured' colony, the education and inculcation of ‘proper,' British ways (i.e., the ‘taming' of the colony), and the immediate aftermath of colonialism (i.e., the ‘independence' of the colony). This essay attempts to scrutinize these periods in the light of the theories of Karl Marx, Ernest Gellner, and Jack Snyder. My claim is that Nigeria's colonial relationship with Britain, in general, reflects Marx's theory of the dichotomy between the oppressor and the oppressed, Gellner's theory that domination and oppression is disseminated through educational means, and Snyder's theory on the risks and dangers that young, ‘immature' … countries face when they gamble on democracy
“The sun never sets on the British Empire,” Great Britain often bragged. By 1914, about 85% of the earth’s surface was colonized by Europe. Between 1884 and 1885, The Berlin Conference took place to carve up the African continent (Background Essay). Europeans saw high potential in Africa and thought the continent was empty, even though it was not. It was roughly “untouched” and they thought they could do anything they wanted (Doc.1). Great Britain’s colonization in Kenya affected the country’s religion and culture, education, and government.
African history reeks with the tall moments of Pan-Africanism which should interest my friends on Steemit wishing to know about Africa. This philosophy is based on the belief that Africans share common connections, ties and goals. Pan-Africanism developed outside the black man’s home in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This feeling of denigration developed as a response to the impacts of colonialism in Africa. The scramble for Africa heralded colonialism and imperialism in Africa but the response to this colonialism is Pan-Africanism.
Davidson, Basil. Modern Africa A Social and Political History. Ney York: Longman Group UK Limited, 1983.
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney, was one of the most controversial books in the world at the time of its release. The book seeks to argue that European exploitation and involvement in Africa throughout history. This is the cause of current African underdevelopment, and the true path to the development is for Africa to completely sever her ties with the international capitalist economy. Rodney describes his goal in writing the book in the preface: “this book derives from a concern with the contemporary African situation. It delves into the past only because otherwise it would be impossible to understand how the present came into being and what the trends are for the near future” (vii). Rodney writes from a distinctly Marxist perspective by arguing that the inequalities inherent in European capitalism and required exploitation of certain countries in order to sustain capitalism.
...ural resources. Post independence Africans although not ruled by Europeans nations such as Britain, France, and the Dutch were still dependent on these nations for goods and other trading purposes. Culturally, post independence Africans and precolonial Africans were different because post independence Africans were greatly influenced by the mother countries that ruled them because their mother countries cultures were inflicted on them whether it was language, food, religion, or even clothing. Precolonial Africans and post independence Africans also differed politically in the aspect that precolonial African governments were more tribe like, while post independence Africans governments had western influence and some cases lead to dictatorships as seen in Liberia dictated by Samuel Doe, Zaire dictated by Mobutu Sese Seko, and Somalia dictated by Muhammad Siad Barre.
Africa’s struggle to maintain their sovereignty amidst the encroaching Europeans is as much a psychological battle as it is an economic and political one. The spillover effects the system of racial superiority had on the African continent fractured ...
The New Imperialism and the Scramble for Africa 1880-1914. Jeff Taylor, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.