World War I resulted in considerably varying consequences in different African territories, depending on the extent to which they had been involved in the war. No doubt, new doors were opened up after the war for many Africans, especially the educated elite groups. The war also boosted nationalist activity in many parts of Africa and a more critical approach was being taken towards colonial matters. With the end of the war, Africans also stopped trying to regain the sovereignty of polities that had been lost after the colonization of Africa. However, at the same time the demands of Africans to take part in the process of government of the new politics the Europeans had imposed on them. These demands served as an inspiration for the Fourteen Points of President Woodrow Wilson. The demands for self determination began rising throughout Africa, especially in Egypt and Tunisia.
Although the Fourteen Points of Wilson did not serve as an inspiration for the demands for immediate independence in Africa, however, West African nationalists were encouraged to be hopeful in influencing the Versailles Peace Conference and demanding a greater involvement in their own affairs. The Fourteen Points of Wilson resulted in a decisive change in Sudanese nationalism, giving rise to a new generation of young African men with informed attitudes, who had studied in government schools and possessed some modern western skills. Thus, the First World War also marked a decisive but perhaps not a dramatic change in African history, whereas the elimination of a Germany as a colonial power as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, and the its replacement by Britain and France can be viewed as a continuation of European influence. The end of the First World War not only ended the partition of Africa but also temporarily halted African efforts to regain independence.
The 1920s marked the formulation of and application of colonial policies regarding labor, land and economic development. By the 1920s, Africans began influencing the terms of their involvement in the African economy resulting in a new phase in economic relations. During this period, Africans continued to participate and play their role in the colonial economy by working on the plantations in Central and East Africa and Congo, and in the mines in South Africa. Economic opposition during t his time period was not well organized in most cases. By 1920, it was obvious that the colonial government was condoning racial segregation everywhere throughout the African continent. Mass protests against colonial policies of the 1920s were scarce, apart from the Aba Women’s War in 1929 by southeastern Nigerian women. The end of the 1920s also marked the arrival of the economic depression that resulted in equal suffering of Africans and the owners of the markets.
During the Second World War, Africa was forced to compensate for the shortage of raw materials in the Far East and this would prove to be very beneficial for the independence of African nations. As a result, the transportation of raw materials to Europe and so local industries had to be created in Africa. New towns were created as a result of the local industrialization and size of existing towns doubled. The growth of industry and urban community also marked the growth of trade unions and literacy also increased, all of which contributed to the ultimate independence of the African continent. European economies had been utterly devastated for a second time by the end of the Second World War in 1945 and with the European nationals financially ruined; they could no longer afford to keep the African colonies. Moreover, they realized that they could also no longer justify keeping African societies under colonial rule.
Works Cited
Birmingham, David. The Decolonization Of Africa. Routledge, 1997. Print.
Kevin, Shillington. A History Of South Africa. 2nd ed. New York: Palgrave MacMiller, 2005. Print.
