Development to Disastrous Decolonization

 

            `           As the century began to reach the mid-way point and World War II ended, empire and what that meant was changing around the globe. “The mid-nineteenth century was no a self-propelled movement from empire to nation state. Ideas and practices of layered sovereignty and of varying dreams of self-rule within overreaching structures were still in play” (413). Britain and France began to look at their territories in Africa to safe and refine their colonial lifeline after World War II. Hitler had caused European racism to be recognized not only in Europe but globally and the Africans would no longer willingly subject themselves to unjust imperialism. Britain and Frances first proposal to African leaders was reform. Before they had established a controlling form of indirect rule but they were fully aware that things had to change.

            They began by changing governance and assured them that they would start the process of moving towards self-governance. Development became their new keyword. They renounced the old colonial doctrine of colonies paying them for their own development. They then proposed to spend their own money on communications, transportation, housing, schools and health facilities, industrial and agricultural products. How did these proposals become the decolonization process that we now know occurred in Africa?

            Despite all the changes and improvements that were promised to the Africans following World War II they were still seen as “children and “immature” societies. These societies were maturing faster intellectually than the Europeans would have liked. I do not mean that to discredit their innate intellectual abilities but as to say they began to learn the rules of the game. Following their use in World War II many Africans began to demand more; they felt as if they could fight next to and for the Europeans they deserved a more formal education and a more complete role in the economy. They simply were no longer satisfied with the remedial sense of independence, the nations wanted more and were willing to do whatever it took to get more. Many European settlers began to flee the African states therefore leaving many Africans with the sense of independence and decolonization process was usually violence free in these areas. In area where colonial presence was still there the process involved much more violence and conflict between the Africans and Europeans. This all occurred because the Europeans and Africans had two different ideas of what development should look like. The Africans wanted to begin moving towards independence immediately, while Europeans wanted to slowly move towards that process. They waved money and further aid in order to maintain economic control; the Africans were no longer going to allow themselves to be used by the Europeans.