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–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

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

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)

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

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

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

Population

Black

White

Multi-Racial

Asian

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

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

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

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)