Independent Africa
Background
● 1880s- The Scramble for Africa. The imperial division of Africa. Colonisation.
● Post WW2 lead to the decolonisation of African countries.
1. The ideas that influenced the independent African states
Economic systems
● African states were underdeveloped and poor. Colonial powers did little to
develop their colonies.
● Colonies exported unprocessed mineral and cash crops for cheap
● They imported expensive manufactured goods
● They had few secondary industries such as factories
● Two types of economic policies
○ African socialism
○ Capitalism
African Socialism
● Influenced by socialist theory and adapted to reflect African realities
Reasons for adopting African Socialism
● Traditional African societies had features that resembled socialism
○ Communal land ownership
○ Collective decision making
○ Classless structure of village communities
● Rapid industrialisation persuaded leaders to centralise planning in order to best
promote economic development
Different styles of African socialism was adopted in different countries. They ranged from
Soviet-style communism to social-democratic mixed economies.
Afro-Marxist countries included Angola, Benin and Congo. They said that they were
“Marxist-Leninist” and supported Soviet-style versions of scientific socialism.
Tanzania
© 2018 LAUREN ENGELBRECHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, NO COPYING OR REPRODUCTION OF THIS BOOK
IS PERMITTED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF LAUREN ENGELBRECHT.
,Became independent in 1961-1964. The governing party was Tanganyika African
National Union (TANU) under the leadership of Julius Nyerere
He adopted the policy of Ujamaa (neighbourliness) which included
● Collectivisation of agriculture
● Promotion of economic self-reliance
Capitalism
Countries adopted capitalist economic policies (private ownership of production, free-
market economies, profit motive, competition, inequality)
Countries generally favoured economic ties with Western countries and reliance on
foreign investment.
Policies ranged from a ‘laissez-faire’ capitalism to social-democratic mixed economies.
Political ideologies
Background
African colonies were administered in an undemocratic manner. European colonial
powers imposed their ideas upon African colonies and exploited them. When
independence was granted they insisted on adopting democratic systems which rarely
worked
Democracy
Multi-party elections were help to determine new governments. Most colonies
established multi-party democracies but many states became one-party states with
authoritarian political systems.
Developing democracy was difficult as colonial borders did not consider ethnic
groupings. People of different ethnic groups were included in a single colony, these
differences were exploited by colonial powers. It was difficult to create a unified identity
and resulted in civil conflict
One-party systems
States soon abandoned democratic forms of government and became one-party states.
These states had extremely powerful ruling parties that controlled the country single-
handedly, occasionally smaller parties were allowed. The colonial rule was inherently
undemocratic
Reasons for adopting one-party systems
● Traditional African villages had been ruled by hereditary chiefs who ruled without
competitive elections
● One-party systems were the easiest and most efficient way of implementing
© 2018 LAUREN ENGELBRECHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, NO COPYING OR REPRODUCTION OF THIS BOOK
IS PERMITTED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF LAUREN ENGELBRECHT.
, urgently needed socio-economic development policies
● One-party systems fostered unity where new nations comprised of many diverse
ethnic groups
● Marxists believed that a small vanguard was needed to lead the masses towards
socio-economic development and greater equality
● One-party states led to the abuse of power by corrupt dictatorial rulers
● By the late 1980s, 31 African countries had experienced military coups and half of
the African countries were under military rule
© 2018 LAUREN ENGELBRECHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, NO COPYING OR REPRODUCTION OF THIS BOOK
IS PERMITTED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF LAUREN ENGELBRECHT.
Background
● 1880s- The Scramble for Africa. The imperial division of Africa. Colonisation.
● Post WW2 lead to the decolonisation of African countries.
1. The ideas that influenced the independent African states
Economic systems
● African states were underdeveloped and poor. Colonial powers did little to
develop their colonies.
● Colonies exported unprocessed mineral and cash crops for cheap
● They imported expensive manufactured goods
● They had few secondary industries such as factories
● Two types of economic policies
○ African socialism
○ Capitalism
African Socialism
● Influenced by socialist theory and adapted to reflect African realities
Reasons for adopting African Socialism
● Traditional African societies had features that resembled socialism
○ Communal land ownership
○ Collective decision making
○ Classless structure of village communities
● Rapid industrialisation persuaded leaders to centralise planning in order to best
promote economic development
Different styles of African socialism was adopted in different countries. They ranged from
Soviet-style communism to social-democratic mixed economies.
Afro-Marxist countries included Angola, Benin and Congo. They said that they were
“Marxist-Leninist” and supported Soviet-style versions of scientific socialism.
Tanzania
© 2018 LAUREN ENGELBRECHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, NO COPYING OR REPRODUCTION OF THIS BOOK
IS PERMITTED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF LAUREN ENGELBRECHT.
,Became independent in 1961-1964. The governing party was Tanganyika African
National Union (TANU) under the leadership of Julius Nyerere
He adopted the policy of Ujamaa (neighbourliness) which included
● Collectivisation of agriculture
● Promotion of economic self-reliance
Capitalism
Countries adopted capitalist economic policies (private ownership of production, free-
market economies, profit motive, competition, inequality)
Countries generally favoured economic ties with Western countries and reliance on
foreign investment.
Policies ranged from a ‘laissez-faire’ capitalism to social-democratic mixed economies.
Political ideologies
Background
African colonies were administered in an undemocratic manner. European colonial
powers imposed their ideas upon African colonies and exploited them. When
independence was granted they insisted on adopting democratic systems which rarely
worked
Democracy
Multi-party elections were help to determine new governments. Most colonies
established multi-party democracies but many states became one-party states with
authoritarian political systems.
Developing democracy was difficult as colonial borders did not consider ethnic
groupings. People of different ethnic groups were included in a single colony, these
differences were exploited by colonial powers. It was difficult to create a unified identity
and resulted in civil conflict
One-party systems
States soon abandoned democratic forms of government and became one-party states.
These states had extremely powerful ruling parties that controlled the country single-
handedly, occasionally smaller parties were allowed. The colonial rule was inherently
undemocratic
Reasons for adopting one-party systems
● Traditional African villages had been ruled by hereditary chiefs who ruled without
competitive elections
● One-party systems were the easiest and most efficient way of implementing
© 2018 LAUREN ENGELBRECHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, NO COPYING OR REPRODUCTION OF THIS BOOK
IS PERMITTED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF LAUREN ENGELBRECHT.
, urgently needed socio-economic development policies
● One-party systems fostered unity where new nations comprised of many diverse
ethnic groups
● Marxists believed that a small vanguard was needed to lead the masses towards
socio-economic development and greater equality
● One-party states led to the abuse of power by corrupt dictatorial rulers
● By the late 1980s, 31 African countries had experienced military coups and half of
the African countries were under military rule
© 2018 LAUREN ENGELBRECHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, NO COPYING OR REPRODUCTION OF THIS BOOK
IS PERMITTED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF LAUREN ENGELBRECHT.
