These notes are for IEB Grade 12 History. They include information on the theme of independent Africa. Included are notes on economic and political policies, independence in Tanzania and the Congo, as well as the Angolan war. This topic is examined in IEB History paper 2.
- Resources are shared
o Communal land ownership
o Collective decision making
o Classless structure (egalitarian)
Similar to “traditional” African society
- Shared tribal land
- Chief and elders cooperate in decisions
- No class structure in villages
Examples of this economic policy
- Tanzania (Julius Nyerere)
o Land collectivisation (Ujamaa), education and healthcare centralised
- Ghana (Kwame Nkrumah)
o Public projects (dams, highways, grain storages)
- Mozambique (Semora Michel)
o Centralised government, nationalisation and no private business
Capitalism
Reliance on foreign investment from the West
- Remained dependent on West
- Not free from colonial influence
Promoted a wealthy elite (known as “wabenzies”)
Example of this economic policy
- Kenya
o Financial and technical assistance for farmers, government land sold to farmers,
industry stimulated by foreign investment
, Independent Africa
Political Policies
Democratic Nation-State (Multi-party democracy)
Colonial powers expected their African colonies to be democratic
- Africa was divided and expected to follow their coloniser's ideology
There were problems with this idea
- European boundaries ignored ethnic divisions
o There was no national unity
o No political party would have majority support
- The Africans lacked political and administrative skills
o Not educated or given opportunities to learn under colonial rule
- The terms in office were too short to implement successful reforms
One Party State
This is the legacy of colonial rule
- Both are authoritarian regimes
- One ruling country is similar to one ruling party
This policy is similar to traditional societies and chiefdoms
Positives
- Little political interference meant efficient policy implementation
- It created unity and avoided ethnic divisions
Negatives
- The lack of political opposition led to corruption and abuse of power
- The freedom of speech was suppressed and media was censored
- The ruling party was impossible to vote out, coups were necessary for regime change
o There were approximately 70 coups in Africa between 1963 – 1977
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