Ideas That Influenced Independent Africa Flashcards
What factors led to the decolonisation of Africa
- Pan-Africanism
- Exposure to Western education
- WW2
- The Atlantic Charter
- UN Charter
- Attitudes of the Superpowers during the Cold War
How did Pan-Africanism lead to the decolonisation of Africa
It urged black peoples to unite to create greater political consciousness and unity in the struggle for equality with whites
How did exposure to western education lead to the decolonisation of Africa
It made Africans aware of freedom and democracy
How did WW2 lead to the decolonisation of Africa
Many colonial powers were weak after the war and declined in power and wealth. This loosened their grip on their colonies
Who signed the Atlantic Charter
Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt
What did the Atlantic Charter promise
The right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which the live
What causes were promoted in the UN Charter
Freedom, democracy, and human rights
How did the attitude of the superpowers during the Cold War lead to the decolonisation of Africa
Their attitude encouraged African nationalism as these countries sought allies in Afrcia, Asia, and Latin America
How did Africans react when they achieved independence
They achieved uhuru and were euphoric
What did Africans want from independence
Improved standard of living and they hoped that political freedom would restore their dignity
Why did the British party completions not survive in many f the newly independent African countries
- Single parties already had lots of support from its identification with nationalist movements
- The part with the electoral majority banned any political opposition
- Many leaders did not want to pursue the inherited political systems as they had greats ambition, some were selfish and some resisted because they had problem in their country
What were many African colonies controlled by
Bureaucracies
What is an example of a bureaucracy
Marketing boards
What did marketing boards do
- Had a great deal of political power and made decisions about the economy and the allocation of resources
- They were difficult to maintain because of the lack of skilled Human Resources
- They were a threat to the government
What was the solution to the problems created by th marketing boards
To adopt a one-party system in which the bureaucracy was loyal to the leader of the government
How did African leaders justify establishing one-party states
- One party focuses attention on winning, staying in power, listening to people and developing policies to solve social and economic problems
- Could govern without opposition (often based on ethnic divisions) and utilise scarce resources and expertise to bring about change
- It was more traditional and African: like the traditional system with kings which did not allow for opposition
Why was there no opposition in these one-party states
- People were more concerned with local problems rather than national ones
- There was a low level of literacy, poor infrastructure, and communication was difficult
- There was no opposition to speak out against corruption and mismanagement and it was impossible to vote out an ineffective government
How did military leaders justify taking power
- They said that the former civilian government could not provide for the economic and social needs of the people
- It could stop ethnic and religious rivalries turning into civil war
- They used the pretext of corruption
- many people were frustrated with weak post-independent governments that they approved of military interventions
What were some african countries that were ruled by military dictatorships
Algeria
Burundi
Sudan
Uganda
