Winning Independence

Ch. 5 Sec. 1

African Nationalism • Early 1900s: nationalism takes

root in African nations – Nationalism: pride in one’s

country – Used to create unity among

different ethnic groups forced into a colony together

• Pan-Africanism: – Unifying all of Africa under one

gov’t– Léopold Sédar Senghor: 1930s

• Négritude movement: pride in African heritage

Ethnic-language groups in Africa

Léopold Sédar Senghor

New Nations Emerge• WWII: colonial powers

weakened by war effort– Cold War: US and Soviet Union

condemned colonialism & aided nationalist movements

• By 1950: 4 independent nations ( Liberia, Ethiopia, Egypt, S. Africa)

• Independence movements: – Ghana: boycotted British goods to

protest British rule, won independence (1957)

– Northern Africa: Libya, Tunisia & Morocco gained nationhood peacefully, Algeria goes to war with France (1954-1962), gains nationhood in 1962

– Kenya: armed resistance group (the Mau Mau) pushed British out of Kenya (1964)

– Southern Africa: Angola & Mozambique wage guerilla war against Portugal, independent in 1975

Colonial Legacy

• Effects of colonial rule – Desire for modern

technology and European standard of living in Africa

– Resentment toward colonial powers

– Disrupted economy – Africans had few

experienced leaders – Rival ethnic groups forced

to cooperate

Case Study: Rwanda (1994)• Pre-imperialism: 2 tribes

– Ruling tribe (minority): Tutsi – Majority: Hutu

• Belgian Imperialism: – Granted more rights to Tutsi elite – Required ID badges for each tribes – Appointed Tutsis to positions of leadership

• Post-imperialism: – Hutu resentment of Tutsi mistreatment – Hutu president of Rwanda killed in plane crash – Hutu military group (Interhamwe) attacked Tutsi citizens – Approx. 1 million Tutsis died in 100 days