"The impetus for decolonisation rested more with metropolitan initiatives than with African nationalist pressures." Discuss

Résumé du document

The independences of the African countries ran from 1922 (Egypt) to 1990s (Namibia). But these independencies were the result of many decades of evolution; in the colonizing countries policy and in the growing African nationalism. Both aspects were actually very linked; chronologically and by the politic thought evolution

Extraits

[...] Transition In this part we are going to see the different evolutions of the metropolitan policy as regards as their colonies; particularly in the Western African countries the changes had been made progressively. II. A. As regards as the French ones, the decolonisation in the English territories had been progressively done, probably for the reason that the claims were earlier than in the French colonies. After the Second World War, all their colonies had quite the same institutions; a few British administrators who used the powers of the native authorities (indirect rule). [...]

[...] The process of decolonisation and the way of independence have had a lot of repercussion on the political and social life of these new states. In general, those whom the independence had been negotiated quickly (like Congo), have had many problem to stabilize their political problems, gradual changes seemed better for these new independent countries. Even though the African countries are now independent and are not directly ruled by European countries, the economic relations have not stopped. Many agreements have been signed between African countries and their former colonizing powers. [...]

[...] These trade unions were very correlated with those from the metropolitan countries, especially at the beginning, (C.G.T., C.G.T.-F.O. and C.F.D.T. in French Africa), but quickly, they broke their relationships and became to improve their links with the parties. And they grew principally after the Second World War (Nigeria: 5.000 unionised persons in in 1950). Political parties were quite varied; some of them were almost only ethnic like the Bakongos Association (ABAKO, created in 1950 by Landu) while other ones were supranational like the RDA (1946) in the French West Africa. [...]

[...] For the Belgian and Portuguese colonies the decolonisation and independence were not as as in the French and British settlements. These countries, after the Second World War were not very aware of the African continent evolution, and still believed in their civilizing mission, they did not think in any changes, and carried on with their paternalistic and authoritarian policies. Particularly in Angola and Mozambique, all the nationalist movements were forbidden and victims of a violent repression (torture, jail, disappearance . [...]

[...] 'The impetus for decolonisation rested more with metropolitan initiatives than with African nationalist pressures.' Discuss Introduction The independences of the African countries ran from 1922 (Egypt) to 1990s (Namibia). But these independences were the result of many decades of evolution; in the colonizing countries policy and in the growing African nationalism. Both aspects were actually very linked; chronologically and by the politic thought evolution. In 1945, very few people imagined that the colonies would be independent in the 1960s, nationalism was extremely limited, and during the Second World War, the colonies were still loyal towards to the colonial powers. [...]