Independent Africa: Tanzania Flashcards
What was Tanzania’s original name as a colony and under which country was it colonised?
Tanzania used to be a British colony called
Tanganyika
How did Tanganyika become Tanzania?
- Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) was formed in 1954 and was Led by Julius Nyerere.
Worked to bring about independence - 1961,Tanganyika became Independent
-1964, united with Zanzibar (another former British colony) to form Tanzania
Julius Nyerere was the first
President of Tanzania
What power were the colonised people given before Tanzania became independent?
- British Administration gave some preparation for independence
1920s – ‘Native Authorities’ set up to give limited power to local chiefs
- E.g. tax collection and responsibility for law and order
1945: African representatives appointed on the central Legislative Council
(a council that makes laws)
1950s - ‘Native authorities’ replaced with local government administrations
- Although under the control of the colonial government, these policies gave
some administrative experience
- Left a legacy that could be used after independence in the new state
What did the political landscape of Tanzania look like post-independence?
1960: TANU won multi-party
democratic elections
1962: TANU win all parliamentary
seats bar 1 in the first election
- Overwhelming support for TANU (and Julius Nyerere) evident
1966: Government commission recommended the establishment of a one-party state
- Although a one-party state was established, elements of democracy were still evident
- British Civil Servants remained in the
country and helped train their African
replacements
What elements of democracy were present in Tanzania’s one-party state?
- regular elections being held for parliamentary seats led to accountability
- TANU membership was open to anyone willing to accept its ideas
- Any TANU member could be nominated for election to the gov
- TANU candidates were not allowed to spend money on campaigning or use tribal, racial or religious language in their campaigns
What characteristics made Nyerere a great leader?
- Retained national unity
- Opposed political and financial corruption
- Was a philosopher and an intellectual
– given the affectionate nickname
Mwalimu = Teacher - Tried to resolve problems of poverty -
demanded the poor be given a fair share of the world’s wealth - Promoted education, African cultural values
and the Swahili language - Led a simple lifestyle which acted as a role
model – rejected all forms of elitism - Was respected internationally as a leading
statesman
How did Tanzania’s immediate economy function?
Policies immediately after independence
were not socialist
Focused on:
- Expanding education
- Promoting Indigenous entrepreneurship
(business enterprises among local people)
- Establishment of cooperatives for marketing crops
(cooperatives = organization/business which is owned and run jointly by its members) - Peasants could control the marketing of their crops
Why did Nyerere introduce the Arusha Declaration?
After 5 years, Nyerere became increasingly concerned about:
- Low economic growth of Tanzania and the direction they were heading
- Tanzania’s dependency on foreign investments
Policies of Western countries towards Africa
- (E.g. Rhodesia – Britain failed to prevent settlers from seizing control and claiming
independence)
- The situation of poor rural farmers had not improved
- Civil servants and politicians were enriching themselves
- More concerned about acquiring wealth for themselves
- Greed was leading to class divisions
What were the aims of the Arusha Declaration?
- Ujamaa (‘working together as a
family’): - Nation-building and economic
development through self-reliance instead of relying on foreign investments and aid - Creating a society based on equal opportunity with restrictions on the accumulation of wealth
- A self-reliant, prosperous and
classless society
What were the 5 key policies of the Arusha Declaration?
- Leadership code
- State Control
- Nationalisation
- Rural development
- Ujamaa villages
How did the Arusha Declaration’s Leadership Code function?
Leaders were NOT allowed to:
- use their position to gain wealth
- own company shares or houses for rent
- hold private dictatorships
- receive more than one salary
Nyerere believed inequality would lead to political instability and looked to stamp it
out
How did the Arusha Declaration’s Economic Policies function?
- African Socialism
New Economic policies:
- Nationalize industries, banks + foreign businesses
- Implement rural reform programmes
- Limit capitalist activities + ‘Leadership code’
- Move away from dependence on cash crops and encourage people to grow food
What was Tanzania’s economic state before the Arusha Declaration?
The economy was based on the cash crops - SISAL and GROUNDNUTS
- The switch to cash crops resulted in food
shortages - Tanzania = one of Britain’s poorest colonies
- Had very few manufacturing industries
What did the Arusha Declaration’s Rural Development carry out?
The aim was to increase productivity and prosperity in rural areas.
Large, collectivized villages (Ujamaa) replaced scattered rural settlements
- Groups of people would own and work the land, and share the produce
- They would elect leaders to run the villages
- Government-provided roads, markets and agricultural services
Water, health, and education infrastructure centralised at Ujamaa villages
- Improved access to water, healthcare and education in rural areas
- This, in turn, would improve agricultural production
What were the Arusha Declaration’s Social and Cultural aims?
The Arusha Declaration stressed the importance of unity and self-reliance, discouraging tribalism and class divisions
- Promoted primary education across rural areas
Africanisation:
- rejected colonial administrators and officials
- promoted Swahili as a national language
- Tanzanian art and culture became popular internationally
