Independence Movements in Africa

Salva Kiir Mayardit, the first elected President of South
Sudan which became independent on July 9, 2011.

Image courtesy Jenny Rockett.

The end of World War II greatly affected the African independence movement. Before 1945, there were only four independent countries on the continent, but within 30 years, there would be nearly 50. By the end of the 20th century, all of the African colonies had achieved independence from the colonial powers.

The colonial powers didn't just grant independence to the countries of Africa. Although the United Nations charter established the right of all peoples to self-determination in its first chapter, the African people had to fight for their independence from the major colonial powers: Great Britain, France, Belgium and Portugal. In places where there weren't very many European settlers, like West Africa, this transition often took place peacefully. Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to peacefully gain independence in 1957 under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah. In contrast, in areas where there were many European settlers, the path to independence was often violent. The Algerians fought a long and bloody war against France. Kenya's struggle for independence against Britain was also violent, concluding in 1963 with the election of Jomo Kenyatta as president.

Although South Africa was independent, non-whites there had to struggle for longer than most of Africa before they gained the complete rights of citizenship. After suffering under the policies of apartheid for decades, they finally won the right to vote and elected Nelson Mandela as the first black president of the Republic of South Africa in 1994. Most of these independence movements took place during the Cold War with the Soviet Union and United States vying for the alliance of the newly-formed countries. This had a large impact on post-independence politics and continues to affect the region today.