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African Decolonization

African Decolonization. End of WWII to Present. Beginnings of Decolonization. At the end of WWII only a few nations were independent: Liberia: founded in 1822 as a haven for freed slaves S. Africa: granted self-government in 1910, controlled by white minority Egypt: 1922

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African Decolonization

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  1. African Decolonization End of WWII to Present

  2. Beginnings of Decolonization • At the end of WWII only a few nations were independent: • Liberia: founded in 1822 as a haven for freed slaves • S. Africa: granted self-government in 1910, controlled by white minority • Egypt: 1922 • Ethiopia: taken in 1936 by Italy, Freed in 1945 (acquired Eritrea, later won its freedom) • After these, the Arab and Berber nations of N. Africa gained their freedom (Libya, Sudan, Morocco, and Tunisia) • One by one, Britain gave independence to its colonies, ending with Zimbabwe in 1980. • Other European nations gradually gave up their colonies

  3. Problems in the African Nations • Unity • inherited borders drawn up by imperial powers, split ethnic groups and tribes • Finding Professionals • before independence Europeans dominated professions • few Africans had training as educators, doctors, scientists, engineers, etc… • Maintaining Government: • When independence came, Africans had little experience running a government

  4. More Problems in African Nations • Living Standards • most in poverty, lack capital for development • Foreign investors deterred by political instability • Disease • AIDS ravaging Southern Africa, far greater percentage of Africans infected than other areas of the world • African Unity • Haile Selassie believed that the differences (linguistic, racial, economic, and political) too vast and recommended a loose organization of nations • OAU (Organization of African Unity)

  5. Goals of OAU • Loose Confederation • Heads of state meet once a year • Council meets every 6 months • Commission of Mediation and Conciliation to settle inter-African disputes • African cooperation • Foreign policy, defense, economics, education • Liberation of all African territories still under foreign rule • Worked to end white rule in S. Africa

  6. South Africa: Brief History • 1815 Boers Resent British • Great Trek; found Orange Free State and Transvaal • Gold Discovered • 1899 Rhodes tries to annex two free states, begins Boer War • 1910 S. Africa granted self-government from British, still a dominion • Limited voting and office holding to whites • 1960 S. Africa ceases to recognize British monarch, becomes a republic

  7. Population • 43 million • 75% Black, Bantu groups • 14% White, Afrikaners (Dutch) outnumber British 3 to 2 • 9% mixed ancestry • 3% Asian (Indian) • 11 official languages

  8. Apartheid • 1948-1994 National party (Afrikaner) governed • System of Apartheid • Blacks must carry i.d. cards • reside in designated sections called black townships • Had to travel long distances to jobs • Black males from other countries brought in to work mines • Reside in dormitories, see families only on periodic visits home • Blacks have no vote and no say in Government • Bantustans • National party imposed “separate development” for racial groups • 1959: Set aside 13% of rural area for Black homelands called Bantustans; few resources and little farmland • 1976 granted independence to 4 Bantustans

  9. Resistance • African National Congress created in 1912 to protest apartheid • 1960 government banned ANC, Nelson Mandela and other ANC leaders organized an underground army • Mandela arrested in ’62 spent 27 years in jail • Nations around the world condemned apartheid, the UN • Deprived SA of its seat in the General Assembly • Banned arms sales to SA • Economic sanctions

  10. Ending Apartheid • 1989 President F. W. de Klerk began phasing out apartheid • Lifted bans on ANC • 1990 Released Mandela and began releasing 3000 political prisoners • Revoked laws banning black property ownership in white areas • 1991 Allowed black students to go to white schools • 1991 UN began lifting sanctions • 1993 SA’s government for the first time accepted non-whites as members of the cabinet • 1994 Mandela’s ANC won 60% of vote, Mandela became first black president

  11. Problems still facing South Africa • Whites still hold most wealth • Bitter racial and ethnic disputes still divide the people • 1999 Thabo Mbeki succeeded Mandela (80 year old Mandela did not run)

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