The African decolonization occurred in the mid to late 1950s, very suddenly, with little preparation. There is widespread unrest and organized insurgency in both North and sub-Saharan colonies, especially in Algeria France, Portuguese Angola, Belgian Congo, and Kenya of England.
Video Decolonisation of Africa
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The "Scramble for Africa" ​​between 1870 and 1900 ended with almost all Africa controlled by European countries. Driving to secure as much land as possible, but wanting to avoid conflict between them, regardless of the difference of local leaders who divide the continent, the African partition was confirmed in the Berlin Accord of 1885. In 1905, control of almost all African lands was claimed by Western European governments, the only exceptions were Liberia (which had been settled by former African-American slaves) and Ethiopia (who had successfully resisted colonialism by Italy). Britain and France have the largest holdings, but Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Portugal also have colonies. As a result of colonialism and imperialism, the majority of Africans lose the sovereignty and control of natural resources such as gold and rubber. The introduction of imperial policies emerging around the local economy led to the failure of the local economy due to the exploitation of cheap resources and labor. Progress towards independence slowed down to the mid-20th century. In 1977, 54 African countries had seceded from European colonial powers.
Maps Decolonisation of Africa
Cause
External causes
During World War I and World War II, the African army was required to become an imperial military. This leads to a deeper political consciousness and a hope for greater self-respect and self-determination, which is largely unfulfilled. During the 1941 Atlantic Conference, British and US leaders met to discuss ideas for a postwar world. One of the provisions added by President Roosevelt is that everyone has the right to self-determination, inspiring hope in the British colony.
On February 12, 1941, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss the postwar world. The result is the Atlantic Charter. It was not an agreement and was not submitted to the British Parliament or the United States Senate for ratification, but it turned into a widely recognized document. One of the provisions, introduced by Roosevelt, was the autonomy of the imperial colony. After World War II, the United States and the African colonies suppressed the British to comply with the provisions of the Atlantic Charter. After the war, some British people regarded African colonies as childish and immature; British colonizers introduced local democratic rule in the colonies. Britain was forced to agree but Churchill rejected the universal application of self-determination to the subject countries. He also stated that the Charter applies only to the German occupation countries, not to the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, colonies like Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana encouraged self-government as a colonial power exhausted by war effort.
Internal cause
For early African nationalists, decolonization was a moral imperative. In 1945, the Fifth Pan-African Congress demanded the end of colonialism. Delegates include future presidents Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and national activists.
The exploitation of the colonial economy led to the extraction of Ghana's mining earnings in Europe to shareholders, not internal development, leading to local socio-economic grievances. However, local African industries and towns are developing when U Boats patrolling the Atlantic Ocean reduce transport of raw materials to Europe. In turn, urban, industrial and trade union communities grew, increasing literacy and education, leading to the establishment of pro-independence newspapers.
Indeed, by the 1930s, colonial powers had cultivated, sometimes inadvertently, a small group of leaders educated at Western universities and were familiar with ideas such as self-determination. In some cases where the road to independence is fought, settled arrangements with colonial powers are also being placed. These leaders came to lead the struggle for independence, and included prominent nationalists such as Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya), Kwame Nkrumah (Gold Coast, now Ghana), Julius Nyerere (Tanganyika, now Tanzania), LÃÆ' Â © opold SÃÆ' Â © dar Senghor ( Senegal), Nnamdi Azikiwe (Nigeria), and FÃÆ'Ã… © lix HouphouÃÆ'Â--Boigny (CÃÆ'Â'te d'Ivoire).
Economic legacy
The economic legacy of colonialism is difficult to measure but tends to be negative. The modernization theory emphasizes that the colonial power built the infrastructure to integrate Africa into the world economy, however, it was built primarily for the purpose of extraction. The African economy is structured to benefit the invaders and any surplus is likely to be 'depleted', thereby hampering capital accumulation. The theory of dependence shows that most African economies continue to occupy a subordinate position in the world economy after independence with dependence on primary commodities such as copper in Zambia and tea in Kenya. Despite these unjust trade dependencies and conditions, meta-analysis from 18 African countries found that one-third of the country experienced an increase in post-independence economic growth.
Debt effects
Africa's economic debt is external and unilateral. While the United States and Britain have a gross foreign debt of 95% and 400% respectively, this debt is offset by major lender countries. This does not apply to African countries that do not have many assets or debt to balance the burden. The debt situation in sub-Saharan Africa means that the poorest countries of the world have transferred $ 3 billion dollars to developed countries between 1995 and 2000. This is exacerbated by interest and principal arrears covering more than 27% of total debt overseas for sub-Saharan. countries in 1998. This leads to two major problems: first, servicing debt means less money is available to import goods, both debt creates uncertainty and risks that put investors and reduce business confidence.
Social heritage
Language
More than 2,000 different languages ​​are spoken on the continent. Along with the native dialects of Africa - Afro-Asiatic, Kordofanian and Khoisan languages, many colonial languages ​​are spoken today. For example, English is used in Ghana, Gambia and Kenya, France in Benin, Burkina-Faso and Cameroon, and Portuguese in Guinea-Bissau, Angola, SÃÆ'Â £ o TomÃÆ'Â © and PrÃÆ'ncipe. Scholars including Dellal (2013), Miraftab (2012) and Bamgbose (2011) argue that the diversity of African linguistics has eroded. Language has been used by Western colonial powers to divide the territory and create a new identity that has caused conflict and tension between African countries.
Landed
Currently, 93% of South African land is still owned by 'white settlers' despite the political negotiations of the Original Land Act in 1913. King (1990) argues that 'space' is a way of segregation, creating forms of inclusion and exclusion. Evidence is represented through different architectural designs, and the separation of different spaces (Zonification) in cities is still a hallmark in the colonial present. For example, the new development of Cape Town's growing business district illustrates the same image of the colonial era with struggles embedded in class, race, ethnicity and hierarchical differences. Decolonization marks one of the historic moments in which African countries increase their autonomous status from the impetus of Western colonial powers. The echoes of colonial past are still visible in African society today because Ferguson (2006) states there is still a broad social stigma associated with continents such as the phrase 'darkness' and 'problematic'. The African representation, therefore, reveals the continual Western heritage of the colonial past and the struggles embedded in the countries.
Transition to Independence
After World War II, rapid decolonization swept through the African continent as many regions gained their independence from European colonization.
In August 1941, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss their postwar goals. At the meeting, they agreed to the Atlantic Charter, partly stating that they would "respect the right of all people to choose the form of government in which they will live, and they want to see the right of sovereignty and self-government returned to those who have been forcibly deprived of them. "This agreement became a stepping stone after World War II towards independence as nationalism grew throughout Africa.
Consumed with post-war debt, European powers are no longer able to afford the resources necessary to maintain control over their colonies in Africa. This made it possible for African nationalists to negotiate decolonization very quickly and with minimal casualties. Some areas, however, saw the great death toll as a result of their struggle for independence.
Ghana Independence
On March 6, 1957, Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast) became the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence from European colonization in the 20th century.
Beginning since the Pan-African Congress of 1945, the leader of the Gold Coast independence, independence leader Kwame Nkrumah made his focus clear. In the conference declaration, he wrote, "We believe in the right of all people to govern themselves, we affirm the right of all the colonial people to control their own destiny All colonies must be free from foreign imperialist control, both political and economic.
Four years later in 1949, the conflict would escalate as British troops fired on African demonstrators. Ã, Riots broke out across the region and while Nkrumah and other leaders ended up in jail, the event became a catalyst for the independence movement. After being released from prison, Nkrumah founded, the People's Party Convention (CPP), which launched a mass-based independence campaign with the slogan 'Self Government Now!' "The rise of nationalism in the country increased their power and the political party widespread.In February 1951, the Convention People's Party gained political power by winning 34 of the 38 elected seats, including one for the imprisoned Nkrumah at the time, while the movement began with violence, it will end with political cooperation.
Algerian War for Independence
In Algeria, anti-colonial sentiment grew after World War II until it reached its boiling point. Unlike many regions that gained their independence through a smooth transition, the French believed the African colonies were important and never fulfilled their promise of self-government in Algeria. As a result the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) started a guerrilla attack to win their freedom. Lasting more than eight years, the estimated death toll usually falls between 300,000 and 400,000 people. In 1958, the FLN was able to negotiate a peace deal with French President Charles de Gaulle and nearly 90% of all Europeans had left the territory.
Timeline
This table is governed by the earliest date of independence in this graph; 58 countries have broken away.
See also
- Colonialism
- Decolonization
- IndÃÆ' Â © pendance Cha Cha , the 1960 Kongo song is widely regarded as the African national anthem
- African economic history
- Scramble for Africa
- National liberation war
- Country and Power in Africa
- Africa Year
Note
References
- Ali A. Mazrui ed. "General History of Africa" ​​vol. VIII, UNESCO, 1993
- Birmingham, David (1995). African decolonization . Routledge. ISBN: 1-85728-540-9.
- Chafer, Tony. The end of the kingdom in West Africa France: the successful decolonization of France (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2002).
- Clayton, Anthony. French Decolonization War (Routledge, 2014).
- Cooper, Frederick. Decolonization and African society: Questions of labor in French and English Africa (Cambridge University Press, 1996).
- Gordon, April A. and Donald L. Gordon, Lynne Riener. Understanding Contemporary Africa (London, 1996).
- Hargreaves, John D. Decolonization in Africa (2014).
- Hatch, John. Africa: Rebirth of Self Rules (1967)
- Khapoya, Vincent B. African Experience (1994)
- Louis, William Roger. Transfer of power in Africa: decolonization, 1940-1960 (Yale UP, 1982).
- Rothermund, Dietmar. The Routledge companion for decolonization (Routledge, 2006), comprehensive global coverage; 365pp
- von Albertini, Rudolf. Decolonization: Administration and the Future of the Colony, 1919-1960 (Doubleday, 1971) for the point of view of London and Paris.
- White, Nicholas. Decolonization: British experience since 1945 (Routledge, 2014).
External links
- Africa: 50 years of independence Radio France Internationale in English
- "Wind Changes or Hot Air? Decolonization and Test of Salt Water" Legal Boundaries of International Law Law
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