Africa

Which Africa?• We are talking about sub-Saharan Africa–Egyptian River Valley treated

separately–North Africa becomes part of the

Muslim world, not the African world•That desert thing is in the way

Africa, in a Nutshell• Sub-Saharan Africa is not great for large-scale

agriculture–Not much “civilization” so not much coverage

• Africa is “acted upon” rather than being a “historical actor” for most of history–VERY loaded cultural statement

• So we will follow what happens to Africa in each unit, until Unit 5

Africa: Unit 1• Bantu migrations–Common linguistic and cultural heritage for

sub-Saharan African civilizations• Still large numbers of nomadic and semi-nomadic

groups• Pre-Islamic East and West African trade kingdoms–Axum–Early Ghana

Africa: Unit 2• West African trade kingdoms–Organized states around trans-Saharan

trade routes–Mali, Songhay– Islam slowly moves south

• East Africa enters the Indian Ocean trade–Muslim traders take over, Arabs blend with

Bantus and create Swahili

Africa: Unit 3• Columbian Exchange/Triangle Trade• Trading posts in the European

empires• Slave trade kingdoms–i.e., Asante (Ashanti) and Dahomey

Africa: Unit 4• Imperialism• European power struggles divide up

the continent• Boers fight against native Africans

and the British

Africa: Unit 5• Service in the wars• Nationalism and decolonization• Independence and dictatorships• Still lots of troubles

Trade Posts

Early Modern • Fortresses for refueling or slave outposts–Disease, climate, and locals prevent penetration

of interior–Some Portuguese missionary success, mostly

just economic impact–Tacked on to existing trade routes–Sometimes paid taxes to local rulers

• Just off the coastal areas, slave trade empires grew (the middle men)

Modern• New technology allowed further imperial

expansion into Africa–Better guns and artillery–Steamship, telegraph, railroad, medicines

• Berlin Conference–Europeans divide up the continent in

colonial rivalries

Tropical Dependencies

• Used local elites or exploited local divisions to rule–Creates legacy of conflict

• Little education allowed in Africa (other than missionaries), prevents growth of a middle class• Strong racism prevents much contact

between Europeans and Africans

Long Road to Independence

World War I• Missionaries created some educated people

who were loyal to British or French• But war created disruptions and rebellions–Showed moral failings of Europe–Few promises were kept–Many strikes and protests

• Early push for pan-Africanism from the Western hemisphere did not match reality

World War II• Forced labor and inflation result from

wartime• Returning soldiers now trained, but

still discriminated against• British and French needed to start

industry in the colonies during the war–Urban poor became nationalists

French Colonies• Slow retreat, granting power to

westernized leaders slowly• Moderates dominated nationalist

movements, remained connected to France as independent states

Congo• Belgians controlled it• In 1960, they just up and left• No nationalist movement or

educated Congolese• Perhaps the source of Congo’s

problems?

Ghana• Kwame Nkrumah– Radical leader–Organized mass rallies and protests against British

violence• Won concessions through 1950s, took over

administration, granted independence in 1957• Nkrumah leaned left, so had Soviet support but not

Western investors– Economic problems, but opposition crushed until he

was deposed in 1966

Kenya• Settler colony – white settlers did not want to

turn over power• Jomo Kenyatta led nationalist party–Terror and guerrilla warfare–British tried to crush it (Mau Mau rebellion)

• British won, but then negotiated• Kenyatta ruled – stable and prosperous until

the mid-1980s

Military Dictatorships

• Nasser in Egypt is representative of the success• Also tried in Uganda and Congo, with failure–Remove civil liberties–Corrupt–Repressive–Little development

Recent History• New nations kept poor by Western economic

dominance and late start to modernization• Major conversions to Islam and Christianity,

but blended with older traditions• Democracy is spreading, but health and

environmental problems can be overwhelming, especially on top of racial/ethnic/religious disputes

South Africa

Early Modern • Dutch establish Cape Colony at the

Cape of Good Hope–Boers (Dutch for farmers) spread

out from the coast, pushing north against the spread of Bantu farmers/pastoral peoples

• Not part of slave systems

Early Modern• British take over Cape Colony–Help Boers push inward

• Shaka –Fierce leader of Zulu state in southern

Africa, crushed their neighbors–Fought vicious war against Boers, guns

were superior but heavy cost to put down the Zulu

Modern• British forced to fight Boer War to

keep control of the colonies–Boers (calling themselves Afrikaans)

now different from European culture–Win at great cost, but feel bad for

devastation caused, so allow the white minority to dominate

20th Century• White minority had no European

home to return to, so they held on to power as long as possible• British granted independence to South

Africa after WWII, but to white leaders–Set up apartheid system

(institutionalized discrimination)

End of Apartheid• Total segregation, police state and

repression for black majority• International boycott started in 1980s and

weakened economy• Wasted money in local interventions• Finally started to loosen grip in 1990s,

Nelson Mandela won election–Now equality, but still troubles

Slavery

Slave Trade • Began for sugar plantations, need for hard labor• Demand continuously high–High mortality–Low reproduction (few female slaves

imported, except to British colonies)• Population drain offset by new foods and that

women and children stayed• Created Diaspora of African culture

Slavery in Africa• Not new or invented by Europeans• Africans very willing to trade–Wanted more valuable items from

Europeans (like guns)–Slave capture common part of local

warfare, and lots of scores to settle

East Africa• Much less slave trade, but still some

to Arab lands or to Indian Ocean islands• Islamization continued in Africa