NATIONALISM IN AFRICA
Was a desire of African people to terminate all foreign rule, Basically nationalism is the politically will of the people of Africa in apposition of foreign domination but in favor of
Africa rule.
NATIONALISM
Nationalism is the feeling of national consciousness by the people that they are members of a nation state and desire freedom from colonial rule.
Nationalism in the African context refers to a desire of African people to terminate all foreign rules and live under a government of their own choice so as to preserve their political, economic and social interest.
The hostility against colonial rule was due to the fact it was hindrance in the struggle for the creation of nation state, hence nationalism was identified with struggle for independence.
National consciousness was a gradual process i.e. was not over right phenomena.
Phases of Nationalism conciorine
1. Before 1945
-The process of decolonization or national liberation was fundamental in Africa. It allowed African state to regain their independence which they had lost for more half century
Nationalism before 1945 was elitist i.e. it was not directly related to a political goal. It was intended to seize political power. The main aim of the Africans at this stage was to have reforms in colonialism such as end of land alienation, taxation and forced labor.
2. After 1945
-The rise of Africa nationalism data back to the period of colonial conquest and the imposition of colonial rule on one hand and primary African resistance against colonial rule on the other hand . But later the intensification of exploitation stimulated the nationalistic struggle.
Nationalism was seriously nationalistic. It aimed at over throwing alien rule.The African were not interest in just changes, but complete independence.
IMPACT OF PEACE SETTLEMENT (Versailles Treaty 1919)
AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WEAR.
The end of WWI was followed by peace settlement reached by serves of peace treaties. The important one was Versailles Treaty. this was made in Paris France, Held from January to
June 1919 it was signed on 28th June 1919.
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Leading statement in Versailles were presided of USA Woodraw Wilson, George
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Clemenceau the prime minister of France, Lloyd George the prime minister of Britain and of
Vittorio or land the prime minister of I tally. The leading rote was played by president
Wilson of USA.
TERMS OF THE VERSAILLES PEACE TREATY
In the term of this treaty, German was highly humiliated as follows.
i/ She lost all her overseas possessions. example Tanganyika, Togo Rwanda, Burundi and Namibia.
ii/ Her provinces had taken during the Frances Prussian war, were given to France and return all France flags take by her during the Franco Prussian war (1870)
iii/ She was forced to disarm herself. Also German universal military service were broken.
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Her arm were reduced 100,000 soldiers with no generals .
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-Its navy was reduced to six light battle ships and few smallest craft. The air force were burned.
iv/ German to pay separations to be paid to to France, Britain and Belgium, they were fixed at 6.6 million
v/ Her federation with Austria -Hungary was broken.
vi/German lose concessions and trading rights in China, Egypt and Elsewhere.
vii She was derived to the right of joining the league of Nations, the term aimed at weakening Germany, politically, economical and military.
WEAKNESS OF THE TREATY
-It lacked enforcement mechanism, decision remained in theory but impractical
-As harshness to German appeared to peace. The Germany never accepted the treat and finally it led to the rise of Nazism.
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The decisions made did not satisfy some of the victorious power ie Italy did not satisfied by the territorial division at the treaty this rise of Fascism.
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The decision ignored the role of USSR as an influential power in Eastern Europe. Example
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:The Balkans remained a trouble area.
-The peace treaty was not a solution simply because it created more problems then it solve.It was too humillitative to German. German was to revenge by all means, when rifler come to power, he decided to turn down all the terms and began arming against the Versailles, a situation which contributed to the outbreak of the second world war of 1939-1945.
FACTORS FOR THE RISE OF AFRICAN NATIONALISM
Pan African Conferences
i.The First pan-African conferences was consequently convened in England in 1900 under the leadership of Sylvester Williams, a barrister from Trinidad.
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Among other things, the conference discussed human rights violations against Africans in south Africa and racial discrimination against people of Africa origin in the world.
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ii. The second pan-African conference look place offer the first world war in 1919. It attracted 50 participants with twelve of them coming from the Africa continent.
There were various factors that contributed to the rise of nationalism; these factors were categorized into internal and external factors.
(A) INTERNAL FACTORS
These were those that stimulated hostility from within Africa. The main factor was colonialism which is divided into two sub–factors.
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Exploitation
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Land alienation.
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Land alienation involved grabbing of land from the natives by the white settlers. Land was taken so that the colonialists get areas where cash crops production and mining activities can take place to produce the required raw materials. Land alienation was common in settler colonies such as Zimbabwe.
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Taxation
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The colonialists introduced various taxes as an indirect way of getting cheap labor. The taxes which were introduced included poll and hut taxes, but these taxes were collected with a lot brutality. Some people were flogged and even failed to pay taxes
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Forced labor.
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The colonialists introduced labor laws that completed or forced the Africans to provide cheap and sometimes free on European economic enterprises. Laws such as Kipande system in Kenya competed all able bodies to provide cheap labor on white settlers‟ farms, failure to provide labor punishment was given.
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Payment of low prices to peasants’ products.
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–Peasant were exploited, these group increase cooperation among themselves and boy cotts, strike and other movements threatened colonialism and establish the great challenge that led to the freedom and way to form political parties which were the main venue for forming government.
-These cooperatives were, Kilimanjaro Native planter Association KNC) The Bataka Association -Uganda and The Bukoba Cooperative Union.
The peasants produced products which they sold to the colonial government, but they received low prices for their products yet the white settlers were given higher producer, prices. This prompted them to fight for independence.
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Dictatorial nature of the colonial government.
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The colonial powers established their governments in African by using the barrel of the gun. The Africans hated the oppressive resistance such as the army, police and prison. To make matters worse, Africans were not allowed to be in any higher position in colonial government.
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Role of colonial Education:-
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-Colonial education resulted into emergence of education group elite
-These group had a great hope and constitutions, after their education, their hope was to get while color job like good employment was difficult, low wages and segregation in work was common
-These educated Africans started to mobilize their fellow Africa to stand up for for the independence
-These educated Africans formed the political parties to demand Independence constitutional with other organized gorilla fighting.
Colonial Education produces elites who played a crucial role in the rise of African nationalism. People like Nyerere in Tanganyika, Nkurumah in Ghana and Banda in Malawi organized Africans to form political parties that contributed to the rise of African Nationalism.
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Formation of independent churches.
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These were churches that were formed by the Africans as a reaction to which they were facing in the European churches. These churches addressed not only religious issues, but also political and economic grievances. The examples of these churches are the African National church in Tanganyika contributed to the rise of Nationalism by exposing the evils committed by colonialism.
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The role of trade unions.
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The trade unions were formed by workers as a reaction to their exploitation and oppression under colonialism. The trade union had numerous demands e.g. increased wages and better conditions. The examples of Trade union included Tanganyika Territory Civil services Association in Tanganyika, Nyakato Agricultural Institution.
The trade unions contributed greatly to the rise of African nationalism by putting pressure on the colonial power to implement changes in colonialism.
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Italian and Ethiopian conflict.
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The Italian–Ethiopian conflict contributed to the development of African nationalism. They fought from 1935 to 1941 between the Italians under Mussolini and Hailee Selassie respectively, though the Ethiopians were defeated but their determined resistance to protect their independence ennglish-swahili/courage” target=”_blank”>couraged Africans to fight for their independence.
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The role of returned soldiers,
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– The ex soldiers from WWI and WWII contributed to the rise of nationalism. These
promises were promised employment and good life and return.
-The promises were not Fulfilled from there, these soldiers started to question the colonial government.
-These soldiers came with new ideas and technique for fighting one of the ideas used that “white man can be defeated”
Example: Dedan Kimath during Maumau was in kenya 1952, the soldiers were abandoned false idea, that white man can not be defeated”. the experience in the war seen white man dying and other running away.
This gave them hope that it was possible to fight the white man as Samora Masheli once said “in sawing the seen evolution …………..and whenever a peacefully means fail, violence is inevitable. -This was also applied by Frantz Fanon when advised Africans to use violence as means of maintain Independence and history.
(ix)Independent of Ghana,
-Some few analysis that, Ghana contributed a lot towards the independence African countries in different way.
-After attained her Independence during 1957, this independence stimulated and ennglish-swahili/courage” target=”_blank”>courage other African countries to struggle for nationalism, the country also take as case study and centre for training liberation armies and from the thought obtained in Ghana It was easy for other country to speed up the nationalism movement.
(B) EXTERNAL FACTORS.
The rise of African nationalism was also influenced by global situation, there were forces operating from outside Africa which played a big role in the rise of African nationalism.
(i) The role of the United Nations (UN).
The end of WWII was led to the formation of the international organization like united Nations which was against all forms of exploitation and colonialism in different part of the world, this organs was played the great role in the independence struggle in different parts of Africa because this body helped different colony to regain back their independence and demise colonialism in different parts of Africa because it was the distructive and distance for the development in Africa.
– A part from that UNO has ordered some colonial powers to prepare the territory to the independent. Example British was given Tanganyika and ordered to prepare the territory until it become capable to be Independent.
The United Nations Organization was formed in 1945 with the main objective of maintaining peace in the world. The UN formed the Trusteeship council which had to make sure that all colonies regain their independence by using peaceful means. Tanganyika is one of the countries that benefited from the United Nations because it was trusteeship territory.
(ii)
The Pan Africanism movement.
This movement was formed in the United States of America by the Black people in Diaspora. The main goal of the movement was to fight for the abolition of slave trade and slavery, but after the abolition of slave trade it turned into a liberation movement whereby it advocated for nationalism. The movement argued that, “Africa was Africans” After the independence of Ghana in 1957, that Pan Africanism movement shifted its headquarters to Accra where it spear headed the independence of many African countries.
(iii)
The rise of the United States of America.
The end of WWII, market the new power coming up USA, took the part of Britain USA had no colonies in Africa and From there it needed areas for getting raw materials, markets and areas for investment to get their colonies she had to ennglish-swahili/courage” target=”_blank”>courage the so called “open door policy”. She ennglish-swahili/courage” target=”_blank”>courage other European countries to grant independence for their colonies.
-Much more USA adapted capitalism Ideology to ensure such Ideology spread through the world, she decided to support nationalism/decolonization movement as the best way to make expansionism and spread the idea of the capitalism
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The role of the USSR, The WWII ended with the rise of socialist, USSR was making a step towards Industrial development hence demanded areas for the economic motives like areas for raw material, market and capital investment. This need made USSR to support decolonization process.
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China revolution, The revolution of China 1949 unfitness the rising of the plotetarials and peasant forming a government of socialist since socialism was against colonialism it supported decolonization process in different parts of the world.
After the Second World War the USA emerged as the leading economic and political power. The reasons were; World War Two was not fought in America, hence it did not experience destruction of industries and infrastructure.
During the war the, USA was the supplier of war requirement in Europe hence it gained a lot of profits. The USA introduced the open door policy through which the USA needed raw materials, markets and areas for investments from overseas.