Ghana
Manchester Conference
Date & Location → Last Pan-Africanist conference held outside Africa in 1945,
Manchester, England.
Key figures → Included prominent Pan-Africanists from the West Indies, Gold Coast, South
Africa, and Kenya.
Militant Approach → more radical than previous conferences
Demands:
①
• End of colonialism
• union of independent African states
②
• called for workers, intellectuals, and peasants to unite against colonial powers
③
• Encouraged the use of strikes, boycotts, and other forms of resistance.
Impact → Helped inspire a stronger challenge to colonial rule in the post-war period.
Impact of WWII On Africa
Strategic Importance
• Africa’s economic and strategic value increased during the war.
• West Africa became a major source of supplies.
• Increased urbanization and the rise of an urban working class open to political ideas.
Africans in Allied Forces
, • Abyssinia: Fought to liberate Ethiopia from Italian control.
• Burma: Fought against Japan.
• North Africa: Fought against German forces.
Post-War Discontent
• Veterans questioned the lack of democracy in Africa after fighting for it abroad.
• Unemployment & lack of support for returning soldiers.
• Many veterans became leaders in independence movements.
Education
• Western education fostered ideas of freedom and democracy, leading to political
activism by future leaders like Nkrumah, Kenyatta, and Senghor.
Why Did WWII Create Greater Expectations?
The Atlantic Charter (1941)
• Promised that people should choose their form of government.
• Though meant for Europe, Africans saw potential in applying it to their own countries.
Global Reaction to Nazi Crimes
• The world became more critical of colonialism, seeing it as based on racial superiority.
United Nations (UN)
• Established after the war, promoting human rights and self-determination.
• Africans looked to the UN to pressure colonial powers for independence.
How Did WWII Affect Colonial Powers?
The Myth of White Supremacy Shattered
• Japanese victories over European powers in Asia (British, French, Dutch colonies)
undermined European dominance.
Weakened Powers
• Britain and France, key colonial powers in Africa, were economically and politically
weakened by the war.
• They were less committed to maintaining their empires post-war.
Manchester Conference
Date & Location → Last Pan-Africanist conference held outside Africa in 1945,
Manchester, England.
Key figures → Included prominent Pan-Africanists from the West Indies, Gold Coast, South
Africa, and Kenya.
Militant Approach → more radical than previous conferences
Demands:
①
• End of colonialism
• union of independent African states
②
• called for workers, intellectuals, and peasants to unite against colonial powers
③
• Encouraged the use of strikes, boycotts, and other forms of resistance.
Impact → Helped inspire a stronger challenge to colonial rule in the post-war period.
Impact of WWII On Africa
Strategic Importance
• Africa’s economic and strategic value increased during the war.
• West Africa became a major source of supplies.
• Increased urbanization and the rise of an urban working class open to political ideas.
Africans in Allied Forces
, • Abyssinia: Fought to liberate Ethiopia from Italian control.
• Burma: Fought against Japan.
• North Africa: Fought against German forces.
Post-War Discontent
• Veterans questioned the lack of democracy in Africa after fighting for it abroad.
• Unemployment & lack of support for returning soldiers.
• Many veterans became leaders in independence movements.
Education
• Western education fostered ideas of freedom and democracy, leading to political
activism by future leaders like Nkrumah, Kenyatta, and Senghor.
Why Did WWII Create Greater Expectations?
The Atlantic Charter (1941)
• Promised that people should choose their form of government.
• Though meant for Europe, Africans saw potential in applying it to their own countries.
Global Reaction to Nazi Crimes
• The world became more critical of colonialism, seeing it as based on racial superiority.
United Nations (UN)
• Established after the war, promoting human rights and self-determination.
• Africans looked to the UN to pressure colonial powers for independence.
How Did WWII Affect Colonial Powers?
The Myth of White Supremacy Shattered
• Japanese victories over European powers in Asia (British, French, Dutch colonies)
undermined European dominance.
Weakened Powers
• Britain and France, key colonial powers in Africa, were economically and politically
weakened by the war.
• They were less committed to maintaining their empires post-war.
