The colonial situation refers to a circumstance in which two groups occupying the same territory have unequal power relations based on the ruling group’s supposed superiority. European rule in Africa spanning the 19th and the 20th centuries exhibited such a political structure (Hayes 210). During Africa’s partition among the different European powers, the western countries’ military and economic strength enabled them to acquire vast swathes of land in the continent and form colonial governments.
The colonial states’ main goal was to utilize the new territories’ land and labor to satisfy the needs of the rapidly industrializing European economy (Varela and Loucã 202). Hence, the colonialists subjugated the local populations by employing repressive laws and discriminatory practices because they inherently considered the African race inferior to Caucasians and to allow their appropriation of the natives’ vast natural wealth.
The discriminative policies of the colonial government caused deep resentment among the natives arousing the spirit of decolonization. This indignation resulted from administrative laws which prohibited the locals from accessing the rights, privileges, and opportunities available to their white counterparts (Teretta 473). For example, there were specific sections of colonial towns where the locals were not allowed to reside. Besides, Africans were barred from planting crops with high economic value, condemning them to perpetual poverty. Consequently, the second-class status accorded to the colonial subjects led to uprisings in the protectorates demanding independence.
Additionally, the exploitation of resources in the colonies, coupled with the violent suppression of political organization by the indigenous population, fomented anti-colonial sentiments. The rapid industrialization of western European countries necessitated the acquisition of raw materials from other parts of the world (Hayes 222). Subsequently, colonial governments in Africa built infrastructure such as railways and telecommunication networks to enhance the access to the natives’ ancestral land and allow the shipping of exploited valuables (Varela and Loucã 200). However, the local population’s attempts to challenge the colonialists’ use of their land drew violent government reactions. Thus, in response to colonial repression and the aggressive exploitation of their land and labor, Africans started organizing a robust resistance to colonial rule.
The conscription of African soldiers during the First and Second World Wars, together with the formation of an educated native elite, hastened the pace of self-determination. In the course of the First World War, many Africans were employed to boost the dwindling number of European forces. Following the Second World War outbreak, thousands of Africans were recruited to fight for their colonial masters in several countries.
During their deployment, the soldiers helped halt Nazi occupation across Europe, making them more determined to free their home countries from European domination (Terretta 450). Additionally, an increasing number of Africans went to study at European universities, where they developed the political apparatus needed to overturn colonial rule (Terretta 452). The combined efforts of the military expertise of the ex-soldiers and the political organization of western-educated African intellectuals helped pressurize the colonial governments to relinquish the power.
To conclude, European powers created a colonial situation in Africa by ruling over the native population based on white superiority. The mismatch between the colonial governments’ political aspirations and their subjects led to the fight for independence. Discriminatory laws against the locals, coupled with extensive exploitation of their resources, started the anti-colonial struggle. Moreover, the experience of African conscripts in the First and Second World War instilled an increased sense of nationalism in the soldiers who began campaigning for self-determination after returning to their home countries. Finally, the formation of the educated native elite helped negotiate their countries’ independence and laid the foundation for a post-colonial state.
Works Cited
Hayes, Floyd W. “The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery: Some Interpretations of Their Significance in the Development of the United States and the Western world.” A Turbulent Voyage: Readings in African American studies, vol. 3, no. 1, 2000, pp. 213 −236.
Terretta, Meredith. “Anti-Colonial Lawyering, Post-War Human Rights, and Decolonization across Imperial Boundaries in Africa.” Canadian Journal of History, vol. 52, no. 3, 2017, pp. 448−478.
Varela, Raquel, and João Louçã. “African Forced Labour and Anti-Colonial Struggles in the Portuguese Revolution: A Global Labour History Perspective.” Worlds of Labour Turned Upside Down, edited by Pepijn Brandon et al., Brill, 2020, pp. 199−223.