HIST104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: War In Darfur, Kwame Nkrumah, W. E. B. Du Bois
African Decolonization
Africa nationalist movements slower to spread
○
Africans protested but couldn’t build effective political movements
with lots of support
○
In Africa more obstacles to nationalism than in India
○
•
3 Reasons why slower here
African continent larger number of ethnic groups and European
nations divided them as they pleased
Colonial states were made up of a number of ethnic groups
who had little in common with each other
Example Cameroon – had 137 ethnic groups
□
Can’t assume different ethnic groups meant people
couldn’t live side by
side
□
§
Europeans mostly found it was convenient to play up or create
opposition in
Africa – “divide and rule policy”
Made sense in Africa b/c so diverse and Europeans
exploit it
□
Therefore basic foundations of nationalism didn’t exist
(language /culture etc.)
In North Africa shared religion (Islam) and
language (Arabic) meant more homogeneity
®
□
§
1.
Education – literacy helped nationalist ideas spread
Formal education underdeveloped in Africa
§
Until WWII few Africans received education from colonial
powers
§
1935 less than 1% of children in Cameroon got education even
at elementary
level
§
Literacy level = very low
§
Nationalist ideas therefore limited to small literate elite
Gandhi overcame problem by bringing illiterate ppl into
movement via symbolic campaigns
□
§
2.
Africa was underdeveloped in terms of communication
(transportation + press)
19th c Europe you can see that nationalism spread with
railroads
§
Improved transport can bring different regions together bc
ideas move more easily
§
Africa railroad spread limited even roads for driving limited
§
Mass press limited too
§
3.
Nationalism slow to spread and ppl couldn’t connect with other
living a similar experience and therefore nationalist ideas = limited
and therefore colonial powers confident they could keep them under
their control
○
WWII changes it all
First, global balance of power shifted away from older
European powers and toward US and Soviet Union and neither
of them had African colonies
§
Second, war showed Africans that European powers could be
defeated
1940 some African soldiers would have seen France be
defeated by Germany in less than 2 months
□
France lost lots of respect in the eyes of Africans due to
that defeat
□
African troops gained political awareness
□
When African troops got back to Africa they found
unemployment,
shortages of goods, and inflation ---all inspired
nationalism
□
§
Europeans didn’t want to give up Africa – British and French
thought colonies would help them reconstruct their economies
(which were damaged during war)
§
○
•
Too simple to say WWII led to decolonization
Europeans did think they might need offer concessions to deal with
discontent so British and French expanded provisions for education
and offered political representation to small elite western educated
Africans
○
•
Pre WWII the opportunity for Africans to take part in political activity
didn’t exist
•
Post WWII Africans were able to form political parties and take part in
elections
•
National movements grew in strength inspired by India 1947
Impressed by nonviolent protests and thought maybe could get rid of
Europeans w/o a fight
○
By end of 1940s demanded independence
○
•
Kwame Nkrumah 1909-1972
Born in British colony of Gold Coast of west Africa – Gold Coast
produced palm oil and coco
○
Brits viewed Africans of Gold Coast as source of cheap labor
○
And concentration on labor = education limited
○
Nkrumah made it through elementary school and also through
teaching training college
○
Came to USA – [lots of anti-colonial nationalist leaders spent time
elsewhere] o Nkrumah spent ten yrs in USA attended Lincoln
University then UPenn 1935 2 MA degrees
○
While in USA influenced by ideas of Black Pride and Black
Independence
W.E.B DuBois (Pan Africanism)
§
○
•
Nkrumah drawn to DuBois idea – picked up socialist ideas too
•
Nkrumah returned to Gold Coast 1947
Began to work for Independence
○
1949 founded political Party called Convention People’s Party
CPP –populist message of self-government now
○
•
Nkrumah called for civil disobedience
•
Jailed by British in 1950s
•
1951 while in jail Nkrumah’s party won elections by landslide
•
CPP won and at that point British release him and gave him political
appointment – Leader of Government Business
•
Ghana 1957 Independence
•
Nkrumah’s 1st president of Ghana
W.E.B. DuBois moved there
○
•
Independence in Ghana = pattern for others
•
Nkrumah = nationalist + Pan Africanist (work to see Africans everywhere
advance)
•
Nkrumah called for total liberation of African continent
Some want to see United States of Africa – pan-African dream not
totally dead
○
•
By 1957 most European power decide not worth it to go to great lengths to
hold onto
Africa
1950s European recovery from WWII economically but see it
unprofitable to
repress nationalism
○
•
British decided they wanted to be on good terms with Africans who held
power which would help their interests
French do same
○
•
After 1957 most African collies became Independent
1960 17 new states
○
•
African independence relatively peaceful
•
EXCEPTIONS
Portuguese tried to hold onto African colonies
1975 they got independence after long violent struggle
§
○
Violent conflict occurred where there was significant European
settlement
Algeria (1 million European settlers) – long bloody war there
§
Rhodesia – large white settler population – 1960s British
wanted out but
white settlers found to keep hold of power
1980 Rhodesia àZimbabwe (black majority rule)
□
Zimbabwe = name for 14th century civilization – lots of
states
named for ppls or places before slave trade and European
imperialism
□
Ghana = medieval African empire
□
§
○
•
Problems since Independence
Most states built on shaky foundations b/c Europeans interested in
raw materials and cash crops
○
Europeans were not interested in developing industry
○
S. Africa = rare example of modern industrial sector
○
Independent African states struggled to diversify economy
○
Some parts of Africa saw foreign investment –China as an example
with oil in Angola
○
Colonial period legacy = challenge
Land ownership issue
§
Zimbabwe – nearly 1⁄2 of farming land controlled by few
thousand whites
§
Legitimate problem
§
○
•
Robert Mugabe b. 1924, President 1980-2017
Oversaw land redistribution but @ time seemed to reward own
political supporters
○
Ruled until Nov 2017 overthrown by Zimbabwe army and own
political party
○
•
Border Problem
Most borders set by Europeans in 19th c.
○
•
Mali – Timbuktu and Gao conflict
2012 Mali captured by Islamist destroyed cultural heritage
○
Harsh punishments
○
Lines on map of Mali northern part desert poor security Islamist take
over- French helped them recapture problems in Mali
○
•
1956 Sudan also example of boundaries sealing in divided people
Sudan 1956 from British – Civil War perpetual – Sudan conflicts
show issue with independence when lack sense of Nationhood
○
Division based ethnically
African vs. Arab
§
○
Darfur –war began 2003 – Africans persecuted by Arabs – in
conflict over 300,000 ppl died – millions in refugee camps
○
Darfur conflict Muslim only
○
Sudan religious issue too
○
Sudan – South Christians persecuted by Islamic government
○
Early 2011 S. Sudanese allowed to vote to say if wanted to be
independent state – voted for independence
July 2011 South Sudan newest independent state – initially
peaceful
§
Since independence – conflict between different ethnic groups
within
South Sudan
Fighting killed 300,000 –troubled region
□
§
Sudan precedent for redrawing colonial era boundaries
§
○
Many problems made worse by corrupt rulers
○
Mugabe diamond money
○
•
Ghana – Nkrumah turned out to be unsuccessful leader – Nkrumah
increasingly corrupt and dictatorial
1964 declared self to be president for life
○
1966 overthrown in coup by army and spent last years of life in exile
○
•
African growth
Ghana in recent years more democratic country as well and profited
○
•
African Decolonization
Saturday, May 12, 2018
9:41 AM
African Decolonization
Africa nationalist movements slower to spread
○
Africans protested but couldn’t build effective political movements
with lots of support
○
In Africa more obstacles to nationalism than in India
○
•
3 Reasons why slower here
African continent larger number of ethnic groups and European
nations divided them as they pleased
Colonial states were made up of a number of ethnic groups
who had little in common with each other
Example Cameroon – had 137 ethnic groups
□
Can’t assume different ethnic groups meant people
couldn’t live side by
side
□
§
Europeans mostly found it was convenient to play up or create
opposition in
Africa – “divide and rule policy”
Made sense in Africa b/c so diverse and Europeans
exploit it
□
Therefore basic foundations of nationalism didn’t exist
(language /culture etc.)
In North Africa shared religion (Islam) and
language (Arabic) meant more homogeneity
®
□
§
1.
Education – literacy helped nationalist ideas spread
Formal education underdeveloped in Africa
§
Until WWII few Africans received education from colonial
powers
§
1935 less than 1% of children in Cameroon got education even
at elementary
level
§
Literacy level = very low
§
Nationalist ideas therefore limited to small literate elite
Gandhi overcame problem by bringing illiterate ppl into
movement via symbolic campaigns
□
§
2.
Africa was underdeveloped in terms of communication
(transportation + press)
19th c Europe you can see that nationalism spread with
railroads
§
Improved transport can bring different regions together bc
ideas move more easily
§
Africa railroad spread limited even roads for driving limited
§
Mass press limited too
§
3.
Nationalism slow to spread and ppl couldn’t connect with other
living a similar experience and therefore nationalist ideas = limited
and therefore colonial powers confident they could keep them under
their control
○
WWII changes it all
First, global balance of power shifted away from older
European powers and toward US and Soviet Union and neither
of them had African colonies
§
Second, war showed Africans that European powers could be
defeated
1940 some African soldiers would have seen France be
defeated by Germany in less than 2 months
□
France lost lots of respect in the eyes of Africans due to
that defeat
□
African troops gained political awareness
□
When African troops got back to Africa they found
unemployment,
shortages of goods, and inflation ---all inspired
nationalism
□
§
Europeans didn’t want to give up Africa – British and French
thought colonies would help them reconstruct their economies
(which were damaged during war)
§
○
•
Too simple to say WWII led to decolonization
Europeans did think they might need offer concessions to deal with
discontent so British and French expanded provisions for education
and offered political representation to small elite western educated
Africans
○
•
Pre WWII the opportunity for Africans to take part in political activity
didn’t exist
•
Post WWII Africans were able to form political parties and take part in
elections
•
National movements grew in strength inspired by India 1947
Impressed by nonviolent protests and thought maybe could get rid of
Europeans w/o a fight
○
By end of 1940s demanded independence
○
•
Kwame Nkrumah 1909-1972
Born in British colony of Gold Coast of west Africa – Gold Coast
produced palm oil and coco
○
Brits viewed Africans of Gold Coast as source of cheap labor
○
And concentration on labor = education limited
○
Nkrumah made it through elementary school and also through
teaching training college
○
Came to USA – [lots of anti-colonial nationalist leaders spent time
elsewhere] o Nkrumah spent ten yrs in USA attended Lincoln
University then UPenn 1935 2 MA degrees
○
While in USA influenced by ideas of Black Pride and Black
Independence
W.E.B DuBois (Pan Africanism)
§
○
•
Nkrumah drawn to DuBois idea – picked up socialist ideas too
•
Nkrumah returned to Gold Coast 1947
Began to work for Independence
○
1949 founded political Party called Convention People’s Party
CPP –populist message of self-government now
○
•
Nkrumah called for civil disobedience
•
Jailed by British in 1950s
•
1951 while in jail Nkrumah’s party won elections by landslide
•
CPP won and at that point British release him and gave him political
appointment – Leader of Government Business
•
Ghana 1957 Independence
•
Nkrumah’s 1st president of Ghana
W.E.B. DuBois moved there
○
•
Independence in Ghana = pattern for others
•
Nkrumah = nationalist + Pan Africanist (work to see Africans everywhere
advance)
•
Nkrumah called for total liberation of African continent
Some want to see United States of Africa – pan-African dream not
totally dead
○
•
By 1957 most European power decide not worth it to go to great lengths to
hold onto
Africa
1950s European recovery from WWII economically but see it
unprofitable to
repress nationalism
○
•
British decided they wanted to be on good terms with Africans who held
power which would help their interests
French do same
○
•
After 1957 most African collies became Independent
1960 17 new states
○
•
African independence relatively peaceful
•
EXCEPTIONS
Portuguese tried to hold onto African colonies
1975 they got independence after long violent struggle
§
○
Violent conflict occurred where there was significant European
settlement
Algeria (1 million European settlers) – long bloody war there
§
Rhodesia – large white settler population – 1960s British
wanted out but
white settlers found to keep hold of power
1980 Rhodesia àZimbabwe (black majority rule)
□
Zimbabwe = name for 14th century civilization – lots of
states
named for ppls or places before slave trade and European
imperialism
□
Ghana = medieval African empire
□
§
○
•
Problems since Independence
Most states built on shaky foundations b/c Europeans interested in
raw materials and cash crops
○
Europeans were not interested in developing industry
○
S. Africa = rare example of modern industrial sector
○
Independent African states struggled to diversify economy
○
Some parts of Africa saw foreign investment –China as an example
with oil in Angola
○
Colonial period legacy = challenge
Land ownership issue
§
Zimbabwe – nearly 1⁄2 of farming land controlled by few
thousand whites
§
Legitimate problem
§
○
•
Robert Mugabe b. 1924, President 1980-2017
Oversaw land redistribution but @ time seemed to reward own
political supporters
○
Ruled until Nov 2017 overthrown by Zimbabwe army and own
political party
○
•
Border Problem
Most borders set by Europeans in 19th c.
○
•
Mali – Timbuktu and Gao conflict
2012 Mali captured by Islamist destroyed cultural heritage
○
Harsh punishments
○
Lines on map of Mali northern part desert poor security Islamist take
over- French helped them recapture problems in Mali
○
•
1956 Sudan also example of boundaries sealing in divided people
Sudan 1956 from British – Civil War perpetual – Sudan conflicts
show issue with independence when lack sense of Nationhood
○
Division based ethnically
African vs. Arab
§
○
Darfur –war began 2003 – Africans persecuted by Arabs – in
conflict over 300,000 ppl died – millions in refugee camps
○
Darfur conflict Muslim only
○
Sudan religious issue too
○
Sudan – South Christians persecuted by Islamic government
○
Early 2011 S. Sudanese allowed to vote to say if wanted to be
independent state – voted for independence
July 2011 South Sudan newest independent state – initially
peaceful
§
Since independence – conflict between different ethnic groups
within
South Sudan
Fighting killed 300,000 –troubled region
□
§
Sudan precedent for redrawing colonial era boundaries
§
○
Many problems made worse by corrupt rulers
○
Mugabe diamond money
○
•
Ghana – Nkrumah turned out to be unsuccessful leader – Nkrumah
increasingly corrupt and dictatorial
1964 declared self to be president for life
○
1966 overthrown in coup by army and spent last years of life in exile
○
•
African growth
Ghana in recent years more democratic country as well and profited
○
•
African Decolonization
Saturday, May 12, 2018 9:41 AM
Document Summary
Africans protested but couldn"t build effective political movements with lots of support. In africa more obstacles to nationalism than in india. African continent larger number of ethnic groups and european nations divided them as they pleased. Colonial states were made up of a number of ethnic groups who had little in common with each other. Can"t assume different ethnic groups meant people couldn"t live side by side. Europeans mostly found it was convenient to play up or create opposition in. Made sense in africa b/c so diverse and europeans exploit it. Therefore basic foundations of nationalism didn"t exist (language /culture etc. ) In north africa shared religion (islam) and language (arabic) meant more homogeneity. Until wwii few africans received education from colonial powers. 1935 less than 1% of children in cameroon got education even at elementary level. Nationalist ideas therefore limited to small literate elite. Gandhi overcame problem by bringing illiterate ppl into movement via symbolic campaigns.