Africa is a continent that consists of more than fifty countries, which were almost all dependent on others until decolonization. This event occurred from 1950 to 1975 and caused developments in Africa and the entire world. Eventually, European empires lost control over their colonies, and this shift is acknowledged as a progressive one. This personal statement will examine changes that resulted in African countries’ independence and provide my opinion regarding regions decolonized in another way.
The Way by Which African Countries Became Independent
The variety of internal and external reasons caused independence from European colonization powers for Africa. In February 1941, Franklin Roosevelt, the United States president, suggested a number of provisions, one of which was the autonomy of imperial colonies after the Second World War (Jeppesen & Smith, 2017). This statement was a part of the Atlantic Charter and the reason for African colonies to request their independence from European countries.
Decolonization’s internal cause is a sociopolitical situation that occurred before and during the Second World War. Despite European empires’ efforts to suppress the African community’s self-determination, some individuals spread the ideas of independence gaining (Jeppesen & Smith, 2017). In addition, colonizers were distracted by the war’s events and unable to keep strict control over their territories because of the lack of resources (Jeppesen & Smith, 2017). The mentioned evidence shows that the European countries’ influence weakened, and African nationalists negotiated decolonization on the Atlantic Charter basis.
My Personal Opinion About Independency of the African Countries
Despite the minor resistance most colonies met on their way to independence, I believe that some countries overcame the challenges of military conflicts. Kenia, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, and Namibia sacrificed significantly as many of their citizens were repressed during the decolonization movement (Jeppesen & Smith, 2017). After a number of confrontations and thousands of victims, European forces had to leave colonies’ territories. Most African countries obtained independence through negotiations, but not the regions mentioned above.
Conclusion
Decolonization of Africa is a significant event that occurred after the Second World War. The president of the United States contributed to independence gaining through the suggesting the Atlantic Charter. Together with the European countries’ weakened control over the occupied territories, it resulted in colonies’ liberation. From my perspective, some regions did not experience the discussed method of decolonization as they met military conflict and sacrificed many people.
Reference
Jeppesen, C., & Smith, A. (2017). Britain, France and the decolonization of Africa: Future imperfect? UCL Press.