● Benefitted middle-class women but brought little change to poorer
communities
◆ Legislation passed to prevent caste discrimination against ‘untouchables’ +
promote social equality
◆ 1952 Family Planning Programme due to rapid population growth; not very
successful
◆ Overall social policies were somewhat successful but did not have a large
impact on most of the population in long-term
GHANA (1957)
Role of Leaders
➔ Kwame Nkrumah
◆ More radical than others in UGCC → was invited to be general
secretary
● Reformed “inefficient party organisation” (Arthur Norton Cook)
◆ He “welcomed” “violent activities” (ANC) unlike others
◆ Appealed to working class
◆ ‘Self-government now’
◆ ‘Positive Action’ movement of civil disobedience: strikes, boycotts
◆ Inspired by Gandhi
➔ J.B. Danquah: founder of UGCC
➔ Other members of ‘Big Six’
➔ Marcus Garvey (Jamaican) and W.E.B. Du Bois (American): not from Ghana but
helped popularise pan-Africanism + movement of returning to Africa
➔ Padmore → moved to Ghana to help Nkrumah + UGCC
◆ Helped shape his politics
Nationalism
➔ Nationalist groups like Aborigines Rights Protection Society existed in 1890s
◆ Popularity raised in 20th century due to foreign education
➔ pan-Africanism + nationalism growing due to key figures + education abroad
, ◆ Garvey, Du Bois, Padmore
➔ UGCC (United Gold Coast Convention) founded in 1947
◆ Self-government as soon as possible
◆ Limited to upper class elites
➔ CPP (Convention People’s Party) founded in 1949
◆ Self-government now
◆ Formed after 1948 Accra Riots → more radical
◆ Positive Action - strikes, boycotts
◆ Helped reach masses instead of intellectual elite
➔ Importance of 1948 riots as turning point in popularity of leadership
Impact of War + Economic Factors
➔ Passing through India + seeing preparations for independence inspired them; no
reason India and Ghana should be treated differently
◆ “Political awakening”
➔ Dismissed notion of Western superiority or moral high ground
➔ African regiments were not recognised for their contributions or bravery →
more disillusionment
➔ By the end of WWII, population in major towns had increased 55%
◆ Veterans coming home in large numbers
◆ Housing shortages, inflation, price gouging due to European monopoly over
imports
➔ Economic + social factors
◆ 1947 onwards: series of strikes, boycotts + protests → especially
due to high price of imported goods
◆ Discontent in cities due to urban leaders having more power on Legislative
Council due to 1946 constitution
◆ Cocoa farmers ordered to cut down diseased trees; farmers were
reliant on cocoa farming + prices were very high → discontent
➔ 1948 Accra riots
◆ Police shot into protest march
◆ Riot developed especially targeting European-owned businesses
● Rioting + looting spread to other cities
◆ Danquah + Nkrumah seized opportunity to argue that Britain could no longer
rule effectively + that UGCC should form interim government
● Helped prevent further violence by insisting on unity and not violence
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