The Effects of Colonization on Various African Countries

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In trying to analyze the link between colonial rule and nationalist rule, one cannot discount the influence of the past on the present. Analyzing nationalist actions and decisions without taking into account how society got to that point, and the situation of society when power was transferred would be asinine. The effects of colonization on various African countries through border setting and defining ethnic groups, the morphing of ethnic group disputes into class-based struggles, and the stunting of economies through failure to diversify national economies is intrinsically linked to the paths followed by leadership after attaining independence.
Previous to colonial rule, African governance took place at the local level. Political power functioned similarly to the theory of a social contract. Individuals submitted themselves to a local chief that was to represent their interest in matters both inside and outside their community. If the chief’s constituents were not pleased with his performance it was relatively easy to ouster him and promote a replacement. Once colonial power began infiltrating the continent this dynamic began to change. Colonial powers enlisted the local chiefs as their local liaison, rewarding the chiefs for their cooperation with favors, money, and protection from uprisings. In my opinion this is the beginning of the social change necessary in Africa to permit this despotism we later see under nationalist rule, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Colonial powers utilized a technique known as ‘divide and rule,’ which originally involved dividing the population along ethnic lines and generally pitting these different divisions against each other. This led to conflicts among the population, keeping them busy and t...

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...l morphed a statist society into an authoritarian one. Even if no atrocities were committed under these self-declared supreme leaders, it would not change the fact that it was an authoritarian rule. Even if the newly elected leaders had great aspirations of doing well for their country, they held all the power and as the saying goes, Absolute power corrupts absolutely. There are many men that would be corrupted if they were to gain this amount of power and influence.

Works Cited

Badru, Pade. “Chapter 4-7.” Imperialism and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria: 1960-96. Trenton, NJ: Africa World, 1998. 65-128. Print.
Worger, William H., Nancy L. Clark, and Edward A. Alpers. Africa and the West: A Documentary History. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
Elkins, Caroline. Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2005. Print.

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