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African Political Systems in a Global Context

Explore African political systems in a global context, from the Atlantic Slave Trade to independence and post-colonial struggles, with a focus on South Africa's colonization, apartheid regime, and democratic transition.

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African Political Systems in a Global Context

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  1. African Political Systems in a Global Context February 23

  2. Atlantic Slave Trade and the Triangular Trade • From the mid-15th century to the late 19th century. • Manufactured and trade goods (cloth, metal goods, guns) from Europe to Africa. Slaves from Africa to the Americas. Produce from the slave-labour plantations (cotton, sugar, tobacco, molasses, rum) to Europe.

  3. Scramble for Africa • Before 1880, European colonization of Africa was quite limited (though South Africa was one exception). • At the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, the European powers agreed to some ground rules for to colonization and partition of Africa. • By 1914, the entire continent of Africa was partitioned and colonized by Europeans, except for Ethiopia and Liberia.

  4. Independence • Decolonization took place rapidly for much of the continent. • Ghana, 1957 • Thirty-two independent African countries emerged in the decade after 1957.

  5. Chris Allen, “Understanding African Politics” • Decolonization and Clientelist Politics • Clientelist Crisis • Crisis ‘Resolved’: Centralized-Bureaucratic Politics • The Centralized-Bureaucratic State Challenged: Democratic Renewal • Crisis Unresolved: Spoils Politics • Post-Spoils Reconstruction: Populist Revolt • Terminal Spoils: State Collapse and Endemic Violence

  6. South Africa: Colonization • Dutch colonization, 1650s • British annexation, 1806 • Discovery of diamonds in 1871 and gold in 1886 • Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902 • Act of Union, 1910 created a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire.

  7. South Africa: Makings of Apartheid Legal foundation of racial discrimination and segregation: • Mines and Work Act, 1911 • Land Act, 1913 • Native Urban Areas Act, 1923 • National Party elected and Apartheid introduced, 1948

  8. The Apartheid Regime • The Population Registration Act, 1950 classified every citizen into one of four racial categories: African, coloured, Indian or white. • Strict segregation of public facilities and residence through homelands, townships • Travel controlled through pass laws and influx controls • An extremely segmented labour market, with huge wage gaps and opportunities limited and tightly controlled for Africans • Sharpeville massacre, 1960 • Banning of African National Congress and Pan-Africanist Congress, 1960 • Nelson Mandela imprisoned 1962 (released in 1990) • Soweto uprising, 1976

  9. Next Week • The struggle against apartheid • The release from prison of Nelson Mandela, 1990 • The transition to democracy and the election of the African National Congress, 1994 • Assessing post-apartheid South Africa

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