The Process of Decolonization in Africa

Primary sources from Europeans, Amerindians, and Africans had revealed the early modern Atlantic world was developed by colonization, and the experience faced by each civilization. As the Europeans began to colonize the Amerindians land it had been done by war to capture riches and land. Colonization of Africa had been established much early by the Europeans using their land for human-slave and merchant trade. The different civilizations had experienced this processing of developing the modern Atlantic world differently. The Europeans sought these new lands as a way to expand its civilization by gaining wealth and power. As for the Amerindians and Africans they had an experience that was developed through devastation and loss of their humanity.

Africa has had a long and tumultuous road of colonization and decolonization the rush to colonize Africa started in the 17th century with the discovery of the vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and rubber with colonization hitting a fever pitch during World War I. However, the repercussions of colonization have left deep wounds that still remain unhealed in the 21st century. Early on, European nations such as Britain, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium scrambled for territories. Countries wanted land so they could harvest the resources, increase trade, and gain power. The European colonization of Africa brought racism, civil unrest, and insatiable greed; all of which have had lasting impacts on Africa.

By 1914, almost all of Africa had been carved up by European powers and became a prized colony because of cash crops and mines. After World War II, African nations began to assert their independence. Although

African’s are forced to be slaves, deprived of their own resources in their own country, just imagine if you took a walk in their shoes for a day. King Leopold II enslaved African people in their own country. Africans were treated inhumanely by King Leopold II and other colonizing rulers. Europe and American countries took Africa’s resources away for their own profit. Africa’s interactions with colonialism have negatively impacted African cultures.

In the 1800s Europe underwent a renewed period of imperialism which was very sophisticated in its nature. Much emphasis was placed on gaining or controlling a colony. The resources and wealth gain from the colony was used to finance war and the army as well as the economy. The stronger a European military gets the more power full that country become in Europe and as such gaining the wealth from a colony could either break or build the power and prestige of a nation. When France for example, moved into West Africa, rival nations such as Britain and Germany seized lands nearby to halt further French expansion. In essence the Europeans taught of the colonies as a source of security. So strong and sophisticated was the sentiment of nationalism that it set of what was known as a ‘Scramble for Africa. West Africa was already known to the European but the interior was untouched. The Belgian king Leopold the second occupies and carry profitable economic activities in the Congo (South Central Africa). Before long Britain, France, Germany and Italy were all lock in a tussle, pressing rivals claim to the region. According to Bickers and Henriot

Our world has long suffered from the effects of colonization. In order to fix its consequences, methods such as decolonization have been attempted. The basic concept of decolonization is so that one may break ties from their colonial status so they may be independent. Decolonization struggles to mend the ramifications of colonialism, as well as oppression and racism (Lecture, Week 11 Slide 30). As we studied decolonization, I’ve come to further understand its roots and restrictions. It’s important that we understand the significance of decolonization and the way in which it impacts us today.

Europe did not have much of a relationship with Muslims, other than through colonies, until after World War II. After World War II, Western Europe was recovering from the economical strains, which produced a high demand for work. They fell short of laborers, so they imported workers from different nations to fill their needs. Many of the imported laborers were from Muslim territories such as Pakistan and Turkey. The use of imported workers was originally suppose to be temporary, but the rise of Muslims in Western Europe continued to increase after decolonization. The high demand for workers in Europe along with decolonization of many territories flushed a large population of Muslim immigrants to reside in Western Europe. The decolonization

The process of decolonization in Africa was a long and tedious battle between the imperial powers and the Africans. After World War II ended there were an independence movements around the world, especially in Africa. Africans were determined and motivated to gain back their independence after being under European rule for years. During this period of decolonization in Africa there was an emergence of nationalism among the African people. This time is history is considered the second wave of African Nationalism. The African people had the desire to win back their independence and had the self-determination to governor themselves. African leaders such as, Jomo Kenyatta, Kwame Nkrumah, and Julius Nyerer gained tremendous support and a following in the fight for freedom. Decolonization for some countries came relatively peacefully, such as Nigeria and Ghana. Unfortunately for another countries it was a bloody battle for them to achieve their independence, such as Algeria, Mozambique, Angola, Kenya, and South Africa. The ideology of Africa being an independent continent was a wide spread desire for the people of Africa. They were willing to go to any length to achieve freedom and change. The African people felt they had nothing else to loose, since everything was already taken from them when the imperial powers colonized their countries.

Decolonization has been around for decades and decades. It was not until the late 1800’s when Leopold’s scramble for Africa changed the outcome of the African nation forever. Within Leopold's interest in Africa, hemade some important decisions. One being that to be “in-charge” of the African nation you would 1. Have a physical presence within the state and 2. Become responsible for the welfare of the society of the new state. When this was established it changed the game in terms of want in the African society. While the violence, in ways helps keep population under control, there is a large correlation with decolonization and the increase of violence in African history because it changed the entire fate of the

During the decolonization movement, many imagined that their African colonies would prosper after independence. But in a short period after the colonizers left Africa, hopes of a better life within their nations were shattered by political, economic, and social instability. In Gerald A Danzer’s Atlas Of World History, he explains that the idea of development after decolonization did not seem impossible until the frailty of political structures within their societies became a reality:

It is important to discuss the effectiveness of these actions because we can see what worked and what did not work during these times.These events are important because they teach us things that we can do to get what we

Growing up in Ghana in the mid-nineties was a very challenging moment of my life. The West African country was recovering from an economic recession mainly attributed to series coup d’états that destabilized the economy and crippled most state institutions. These coup d’états, to an extent, left the country that once championed the emancipation of Africa in a deplorable state. The country experienced a protracted period of serious economic decline characterized by lax financial management, inflation rates well over 40%, extensive government involvement in the economy and an extremely high budget deficit.

Growing up in Ghana in the early to mid-nineties was very challenging for me and most people I came into contact with; yet provided the acumen to make sound personal and professional decisions. Ghana was recovering from an economic recession mainly attributed to series coup d’états that destabilized the economy and crippled most state institutions. As a result of this, the country experienced a protracted period of serious economic decline characterized by lax financial management, inflation rates well over 40%, extensive government involvement in the economy and an extremely high budget deficit. These weak macroeconomic fundamentals influenced the government’s decision to implement a series of strenuous public policies; with the goal to place Ghana back on sound economic and social footing.

Whatever the exact nature of the various African ethnogenesis processes, the states gaining independence were populated by groups which had differing loyalties. This scenario would fall foul of many theories of the state, in which the absence of the coherent link between the population and the power structure of the state calls it into question. Ethnic cleavages has been a factor in many of the numerous coups d'etat and armed conflicts throughout Africa, as rival groups see the power of state apparatus as a prize worth fighting for(Warner 2001, p89).

Ghana is one of the developing countries in the world. Even though now I am living in a developed country, I was also born and raised in a developing country; therefore, I wanted to explore what are the problems on the other part of the world especially African countries. Ghana is said be the country that is doing much better in increasing the health status of people as well as decreasing the mortality rates. I was interested on learning about what factors have affected the health status of this country.