The Dark Continent - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 348

END OF POLITICAL COLONIALISM
The colonial era, which had arrived quickly throughout the African continent in a matter of
decades, did not last long. It could not survive World War II nor could it survive the call
for national self-determination at war's end. As the war dragged on, colonial powers were
forced to divert their attention and resources from overseeing their colonial empires toward
the war effort on the continent of Europe. They could not afford to continue the iron grip
that had allowed them to exploit their colonies, most especially those colonies far removed
from the battlefields, so control was loosened dramatically. At the war's end, two phenom-
ena were at work simultaneously. Together they had the effect of ushering in a new era
characterized by the collapse of the global colonial system throughout the world, and most
especially in Africa.
As the war came to a conclusion, colonial powers were intent on restoring their em-
pires to pre-war levels. But a newly emerging theme would undercut this goal. It was the
push for national self-determination. Not only was the push coming from those within ex-
ploited areas of the globe, but it had a new supporter. The recently created United Nations
made national self-determination one of its leading causes as it began its work in the fi-
nal days of World War II. The call for this new global value was taking place in the con-
text of the expanded mandate for the new global organization. Its predecessor had been
simply tasked with preventing war but the UN had a larger responsibility. Not only was it
charged with preventing war and stopping military conflicts should they break out, it was
also tasked with addressing those underlying causes that lead to war. Among the latter was
the existing colonial system that suppressed political, economic and social development for
a large segment of the world's population. The international community was now on re-
cord for the first time, in the form of inclusion in the UN Charter, as wanting to eradicate
colonialism through national self-determination. It was now obvious that colonialism was
doomed, although most colonial powers were reluctant to admit it at first. And some took
police and military action to prevent the inevitable. But they were ultimately unsuccessful.
The early 1950s ushered in the major push for national self-determination. This push
would continue for several decades until the African continent (as well as many other parts
of the globe) were rid of foreign domination. It was not an easy struggle, however. Political
independence came fairly easy to some places, while others had to endure significant milit-
ary and political hurdles before independence was achieved. And once won, the battle was
not over. During the struggle for independence, local groups that usually competed with
one another joined forces in the common struggle against the external enemy. But once this
battle was over, the ability of local groups to work together to form their own national gov-
ernment was greatly diminished. Civil war was the result (think Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, and
Nigeria, among others) and some proved to be far bloodier than the former struggle against
the colonial power.
The typical end result of this intra-country civil strife was one-party or one-person rule.
Originally advanced as the best way to achieve political order and economic growth, this
emerging cult of the individual or of the party soon became the vehicle for authoritarian