Notes on the Division of Africa

HIS 135
Notes on the Division of the Africa

Well, not all of Africa had to be divided after World War II--it had already been divided up long ago in the sixteenth century, then re-divided in the late ninetenerht century during the age of imperialism, then again after World War I with e Leage fNations and he dismbandonement of the German colonies
But after World War II, the process of decolniczation set in, with France, England and Portugal leaving their African colnies (at differnt rates of speend and in differnt states of disarray) That meant some redivindeg again, the results of which could lead to cataratope as in Rwanda in the 1990s!

So some things that I would like to note

Julius Nyerre, Kenyatta and the other liberationist leders of the 60s and their attepmts to create pan african socialism;Ujamaa - Essays on Socialism' (1977);Kwame Nkrumah was a Pan-African activist who became the first president of Ghana;Jomo Kenyatta was a Pan-African activist who became the first president of Kenya;Léopold Sédar Senghor. All confronted th ediffiucltues of creating a nation given internal problems, econ problems adn the legaciers o fth ecolonial powers Realized how difficult it was to make a nation an dfitr a conectp of Nation intro African tribal communities
The division of Southern Africa
Ethiopia
Rwanda

The Liberators

Link to my HIS 135 course on the Korean WQar,
Now there is a lot from the COld War Hitory project

The decolonization of Africa made for far reaching changes of the world economy and at the United Nations.

            1. by 1985 an oft expressed feeling that african ind was an "abysmal failure"
                a. but was this not the european dream?
                b. Remember the colonial legacy that carried over
                    1) colonial state was a product of violence, gov rested on force not consent
                    2) poverty, high taxes and exploitation
                    3) misgovernment, africans had little practice, personal powers of colonial governors
                    4) destruction of law
                    5) econ life destroyed (always measured by import-export not domestic market)
                    6) artificial borders
                c. whose dream? Were Africans committed to liberal democracy?
                d. African achievement is impressive!
                    1) literacy increased, life expectancy increased, tough econ prob to make up ground, few wars between countries

            2. Nigeria's transition to independence from Britain in 1960 full of promise, but military coups, bankruptcy, civil war (only Botswana has suffered no coups)
                a. lot of abuses of powers, lack of constitutional commitment, corruption

            3. Ghana in 1957
                a. Kwame Nkrumah, 1909-1972, took British Gold Coast to ind
                    1) talk of pan-Africanism
                b. eventually dictatorship ended by 1966 coup
                c. overspent
                d. struggle to maintain unity

            4. Algeria in 1962

            5. other Francophone countries
                a. 1956, France freed Morocco and Tunisia

            6. the English colonies

            7. the Portuguese colonies

            8. 1960, Belgian Congo

            9. South Africa
                a. 1980, Rhodesia became Zimbabwe
                b. 1989, Namibia

            10. Ethiopia

            11. Africa also had drought, AIDs, poverty among its growing problems

Blue Bar

Southern Africa

    South Africa

South Africa is an enormous region, with some very valuable natural resources

A. Origins
   1. the San (Bushmen) and Khoikhoi (Hottentots)
       lived by hunting and sheepherding and farming
       2. by 16th century, Bantu had moved into eastern part of south africa
       farmers and artisans, small villages

B. Europeans
       1. 1652 Dutch East India Co set up a colony on the Cape as a transit point
       pretty fertile
       as colony expanded Africans pushed north and away.
       2. by 1760s dutch, or Boer (farmers) had reached the Orange River, warfare resulted
       3. by 1800 maybe 17,000 settles, 26,000 slaves and 14,000 Khoikhoi
       meanwhile Bantu pshing south
       4. Great Britain seized in 1795 after short war with Dutch and formally controlled in 1815
       continuing conflicts

C. English
       1. as English continue to arrive, Boers decide to move north and set up autnomous boer states
       2. In 1834 when British abolished slavery Boers went on "Great Trek" to north to be free of english
       reached Natal across Orange River
       into the veld or grassy plain
       3. in 1850s Boers set up Orange Free State and Transvaal to keep out british

D. Zulu
       1. But major changes had occured among the Nguni people, as they had unified
       2. in 1818, Shaka, created new, permamanent army armed with short spears
       ruled with an iron hand
           but his cruelty made enemies and assasinated in 1828
       3. as Zulu expanded power, constant fighting with natives to south to expand
       a. only one state, Lesotho, succesfully resisted

E. War
   1. in 1867 diamonds found in Orange Free State
       British began moving in
   2. Cecil Rhodes here
   3. then in 1885 gold in transvaal
   4. in 1870s Britain bloodily crushed the Zulu
           a. Isandhlwana, Zulus defeated brit force but at a cost of 3,000 dead Zulus vs 800 dead brits and 500 dead africans
           b. but then the 120 britishers holding off 3,000 zulus at the Mission

F. Boer War, 1899-1902
   1. republics decalred war in 1899

Ethiopia

blah

Rwanda

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Web pages within the course relevant to contemporary Africa

Some suggestions for further research