Decolonization in Africa

Will Ferrini 5/13/25

Colonization was one of the most significant events in history, especially in

places like North America and Africa. The Colonization of Africa happened specifically from

1884 to 1914. Motivations for countries that colonized Africa included natural resources like

gold, diamonds, and rubber. Many countries were involved in this, including Britain, France,

Germany, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. One of Colonization's most significant impacts

was that it led to the transformation of the African economy, society, and policy. Numerous

factors caused decolonization in Africa, the most important factors were African nationalism,

self-determination, the economic costs of European empires maintaining colonies, the influence

of organizations such as the United Nations, and the spread of Western education.

One of the most significant and compelling reasons for the decolonization of

Africa was the enormous growth in African nationalist movements. One example of nationalism

in Africa was the rise of the Pan-African movement. This had a significant effect on the

decolonization movement by fostering unity between different African countries and tribes. It

also showed how much the anti-colonial movement had grown in Africa. It also helped provide

the intellectual frame for Liberty movements in African countries. Another prominent example

of the growing nationalism in Africa was the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya. This rebellion

showed how brutal colonial rule was and how the desire for change in Africa was so great that

they were willing to risk their own lives for liberty. In the end, these events convinced British

colonials that maintaining colonies was too risky, forcing them to pull out of many of their

colonies before the 1950s.

WWII. One prominent example was the United Nations Declaration on the Granting of

Independence to Colonial Countries and People's Rights in 1960. This declared that all countries,

big or small, had the right to self-determination. This was particularly significant because it

called for the end of colonial rule, impacting the decolonization process drastically. Another

moment when self-determination was a massive reason for decolonization was in the Algerian

War from 1954 to 1962. This war was essential for a stupendous amount of reasons. One was

that it showed the struggle for self-governance by colonials. Another was just purely the fact that

it resulted in Independence for Algeria.

The next main incentive for decolonization was that the economic costs of

controlling colonies were too great for them to continue. Firstly, the high cost of maintaining

their empires caused dissatisfaction with the people of the colonial powers. The high costs are

shown by the French using $1.1 billion in West Africa alone. Britain also used over $500 million

to maintain their colonies. These high costs showed the colonial powers that it was time to let go

and focus on development within their borders. Post-war economic hardships also played a

significant role in Africa's decolonization. One fear was that after another world war, the world

might experience another Great Depression, so the money the powers were using on colonies

was thought to not be a good use. The final economic reason for decolonization was that there

was evident unequal trade and exploitation of Africans by Europeans. But in reality, it was the

unequal trade between African farmers and colonials that led to decolonization. Since the end of

the war, African products had risen in price drastically, causing powers to regret putting money

into them. In addition, most European nation's capital goods were in short supply. These were

some of the economic reasons for the decolonization in Africa.

Africa. Because of the U.N., many nations began accepting resolutions for independence in the

colonies in Africa. The U.N. was ahead on most of its ideas, especially decolonization, but

eventually, it would catch on, leading to decolonization. The U.N. also created a Committee on

Colonialism. It significantly changed patterns of relations. It also demonstrated that even though

some nations were still struggling for independence, the colonial era's end was inevitable.

Finally, the spread of Western education played a significant role in the decolonization of

Africa. One of the primary ways this was shown was in the French and British colonies. These

colonies developed elementary and vocational education. Africans became eager to learn since

they saw it as one way to become equals with European superpowers. During the mid to late

1950s, there were significant jumps in the amount of children with an education. During those

times, the amount jumped from 1.7% of the population in school to around 12% of the

population of countries getting educated. Ultimately, it became an empowering force for the

Africans, causing them to challenge and finally dismantle colonial rule in Africa.

In the end, there was no one process of decolonization in Africa. Some of the

decolonization was peaceful; other times, it most definitely was not calm. The process coincided

with the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and early to middle United Nations

development. It was affected by superpower competition and impacted the evolution of that

competition. In conclusion, through the nationalist movements, the self-determination of African

people, the economic costs of colonial empires, the influence of the United Nations, and the

spread of Western education, ultimately, decolonization changed the world in one of the most

drastic ways in history.