“. . . I saw that the whole solution to this problem lay in political freedom for our people, for it is only when a people are politically free that other races can give them the respect that is due to them. It is impossible to talk of equality of races in any other terms. No people without a government of their own can expect to be treated on the same level as peoples of independent sovereign states. It is far better to be free to govern or misgovern yourself than to be governed by anybody else. . . .”— Kwame Nkrumah

What else does a new nation need besides self-determination to be successful?

Aim: How was the Congo an example of a failure of

decolonization?

Why did the Europeans imperialize and colonize Africa?

Neo-colonialism

What was important to Europeans when decolonizing? – ability to continue to control these nations

$$$

Legacy of Imperialism• The boundary problem – no natural states –

ethnic and tribal divisions

Ethnicity in Western Africa

Ethnicity in Nigeria

Nigeria is bigger than Greece, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia combined

Ethnic Division in

Congo (Minimized)

Ethnic Divisions

(Overstated)

Legacies of Imperialism• The boundary problem – no natural states –

ethnic and tribal divisions• No education – Ghana – population of 15

million; 300 7th graders in 1960• No preparation for independence – no

leaders who can unite nations• US, Britain, France preferred leaders who

could be controlled to continue western economic domination

Congo is the size of the Louisiana Purchase; Slightly

smaller than India;

2/3 the size of the European

Union

Congo: All natural resources; still tied to

former colonial power

Colonel Mobutu President Mobutu

Which of Fanon’s “phases” in each picture?

Legacies of Imperialism

• Leaders only interested in enriching themselves and plunder – no interest in national development

• No connections between the leaders and the people• All or most of the industry in the nation is owned

and controlled by foreign companies• No economic or cultural cohesion• One product economies – no diversification,

generally low technology raw materials • All technical knowledge and expertise stays in

hands of foreigners

Social Indicators

Social Indicators

Social Indicators

Rebel Held Areas

Rebellions based on both ethnicity and “warlordism” - control of resources