The Role of the Educated in the Decolonisation of Africa
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In beginning of the twentieth century, the European powers that colonised West African states started to experience new threats to their colonial dominion.. By the middle of the century the strong grip Europe once held on West Africa had weakened considerably. These states were now in the process of decolonisation. External and internal forces had exerted considerable pressure on Europes control of these territories and eventually were responsible for the collapse of colonial control in West Africa.
The 1st world war was probably
the first international occurrence which helped to question the colonial control of territories in West Africa.This question was not only asked internationally but also within Europe itself . Pearce commenting on this, said, “There was in intellectual circle a wholesale attack on all a priori values and increase in pessimism,introspection and fatalism. No Longer could Britiains cultural superiority be taken for granted. Decolonisation may be seen as a product of Britains cultural outlook in this century.” Although they had not been defeated in the 1st world war, France and England now seemed vulnerable and both Africans and Europeans started to question Europess imposed right to control Africa. One writer comments that the colonial super powers “assumption that they had a natural right to rule the uncivlised world ” had been destroyed by losses during that war . Another writer states” The sight of white men using all horrors of scientific brutality on each other for a principle they denied to their non-white subjects made a profound psychological impact on colonial subjects throughout the European empires” . He continues “It was brought directly home to Africans who saw two French governmentsÐ contending for their support.” No more was the whites powers viewed as invincible . Crowder states that the First World War raised the hopes of a new emergent educated class all over Africa that they would be given positions of significance and respect from the colonizers; however these hopes were never realised. Also as a result of the 1st world war and the formation of the League of Nations a new concept of self determination came to the fore. The new concept of “self-detemination” espoused by the League of Nations helped to shape international philosophy against colonialism. This new concept interested the growing numbers of African intelletuals and helped to spur nationalism in the colonies. In British West Africa, efforts were made to react to this new concept. In Kenya several Acts were passed (Colonial Development Act 1929, Development and Welfare Act 1940) to stem the calls for better representation and treatment of the African peoples. The growing consciousness of Africans would not be so easily abated.
Another external influence was the 1927 International Congress against Colonialism and Imperialism held in Brussels. This congress began to show a marked change in attitudes towards colonialism. The League against Imperialism was formed at this conference and its main aim was to be an organization against imperialist colonial and semi-colonial oppression and for national independence; this provided further impetus for the decolonisation schemes. The congress was attended by 180 delegates from Western Europe, North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. The congress brought together socialists like the independent labour party, the radical leaders in colonial territories and representatives from Africa including Messali Hadj, Abd al-Kadir from Maghrib, Muhammad Hafi and Ibrahim Yusuf from Egypt. Senghor from French West Africa, and Jomo Kenyatta from Kenya. This conference would have helped to increase the feelings of nationalism building in Africa. African intellectuals saw the hypocrisy of the politics of these inter-war years by colonial nations such as Britain and France.
There were also other international movements stirring up anti-colonial campaigns. The riots and disturbances that occurred in the 1930s in the Caribbean shocked those in Britain who took an interest in colonial affairs and helped to criticise colonial policies.
The Atlantic Charter of 1941, although not intended for colonial Africans also weakened colonial powers. Article 3 of that Charter stated “respect the rights of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they live and their wish to see sovereign rights restored to those who had been forcibly deprived of them”.
By the time of the 2nd World War anti-imperialist sentiment was being entertained world wide. American President Roosevelt “wished to see the empire liquidated .” So we can see that even Britains ally had voiced his contempt with African colonialism. Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union employed anti-colonial rhetoric even as they sought to create informal empires of their own.
The second Great War also provided more reason for the devolution of colonial powers. The war and its consequences brought about a significant improvement in the financial situations of many of the colonies. Not only were finances improved but also the political and social climate changed as a result in both colonies and on the European mainland. The loss of valuable British, French and Dutch colonies in Asia was due directly to threats during the war. It was impossible to return them to their pre-war situation after the war. The Chinese revolution, the Malaysian peasant rebellion, and the independence of India that followed the Second World War all provided Africans with important examples of successful anti colonial and liberation movements. Africans became more visible on the four legislative councils in British West Africa .In French West Africa similarly, the Brazzaville Conference sought to implement changes in french policy in Africa. De Gaule a french general and later Prime Minister sought to form the French Union where the right to vote and to be represented in french legislative councils was to be made available for Africans in their colonies.
In the Caribbean and America, early movements such as Marcus Garvey Universal Negro Improvement Association had exerted significant influence on the educated elite and intern the masses of African. . Pan-Africanism which was a philosophy that promoted African awareness and pushed for the betterment of all Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora, was inspired by Sylvester Williams, Marcus Garvey and William Du Bois and other black American and Caribbean influences. All such international developments helped to cause change on the African continent. Of course there were also local factors that led to the decolonization of West Africa.
Many scholars argue that it was the rise of