Julien Rosenbloom 20th Century National Identities CCOT

Mr. Kirby

AP World History, Mods 11 - 12

4 / 27 / 15

Analyze major changes and continuities in the formation of national identities in ONE of

the regions listed below from 1914 to the present. Be sure to include evidence from specific

countries in the region selected. Middle East, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa.

While Sub-Saharan Africa is still struggling to maintain effective governments and continues

to be plagued with European intervention, it changed after the second World War when the people

of Sub-Saharan Africa began to strive for independence and self-reliance.

European intervention in and exploration of Sub-Saharan Africa began long before 1914;

most historians trace European influence in the region to the late 1400s, a period of history in

Europe known as the Age of Discovery. The first hint of colonialism in Sub-Saharan Africa was in

the late 1450s, when the Genoese sailor Antonio de Noli became the first colonial governor of Cape

Verde, a country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Even more than 500 years later, European presence still

prevailed in Sub-Saharan Africa, as exemplified by the policy of apartheid in South Africa, which

persisted even after the process of decolonization. This policy of state-sponsored racial segregation,

in which white Europeans were favored, showed that Europeans and their ideals were still

assimilating and swaying influence in Sub-Saharan Africa. Apartheid existed from the late 1940s to

the mid-1990s. It was able to exist because of the policies and regulations established by the white

National Party, and once they rose to be the most prominent political party, they passed legislation

of racial segregation. Both of these instances seriously detrimented these nations’ abilities to

maintain or even establish a distinct national identity, and it was often established for them with a

very Western facade. Globally, this was accepted because of widespread colonialism, so establishing

colonies and maintaining rule here was acceptable and the norm, as evidenced also by Belgium’s

sway over Congo until the latter end of this time period.

Since the conception of modern conflict in 1914 through the present, the Sub-Saharan

Africa region as a whole has been experiencing immense struggles in establishing stable economies

and governments, which are the two foundational qualities of a national identity. Since the

European concept of colonialism took root in the region in the mid-1800s and since its critical point

in 1914 onward, countries here have had remarkably low track records in terms of political rights,

economic freedoms, and human rights. which show a perpetual inconsistency in institutional

strength (or, rather, a perpetual pattern of institutional weakness). The limitations of their

economies, in some instances, do not always necessarily inhibit a national identity, though if this is

the case, it usually creates an incredibly negative one. In such sub-regions within Sub-Saharan Africa

as Western Africa, most countries have been independent of colonial rule since 1960, though there

is still great discord and inconsistencies in national identity, as evidenced by frequent wars,

historically coined “post-Colonial Civil Wars”, in places such as Nigeria and Liberia. This is because

after the intense process of decolonization, their economies were more or less crippled and their

politics fragmented, which led to significant internal strife and conflict.

After the second World War, there was a noticeable change in the dynamic of Sub-Saharan

African people, as they began striving for independence and self-reliance. Often times, this change

is epitomized in the election of Nelson Mandela as a progressive South African leader and his

subsequent policies that resulted in an end to South African apartheid. In 1994, Mandela was

elected to the position of President of South Africa, and is the first democratic president in the

country’s history. This marks a remarkable transition from a previous policy of perpetual apartheid,

which directly went against democratic ideals. Additionally, even closer to the end of the second

World War is the gaining of independence in Libya in 1951, which also marked another change.

Having been plagued by a European (British and French) presence even after independence from

Italy years prior, the transition to the independent state of the United Libyan Kingdom

demonstrated a progressive mindset with a passion for independence. Globally, this trend of change

occurred in fragmented occurrences through the process of decolonization, which is also why this

change happened.