How Did Imperialism Contribute To The Rise Of African Nationalism

African Nationalism was the key factor to European colonialism’s demise. The “national” consciousness of diverse groups in Africa in a given colonial unit fueled opposition to foreign rule. Another factor that bred resistance towards colonial rule was the growing number of African elites with European “tongues” and education. These elites were well-educated from the European schools in the colonies. These elites would later bring forth leaders of Africa’s nationalist movements between the World Wars and of Africa’s new, self-governing nations which were created after World War II. Mass political parties emerged from the postwar period. Most notably are the Convention People’s Party in the Gold Coast, led by Kwame Nkrumah, and the African Democratic Assembly, with members from various French African colonies, under the leadership of Felix Houphouet-Boigny. Houphout-Boigny would later become the first president of the Ivory Coast. Also, different movements took place at the same time which sought the creation of an inclusive African identity. One example is Negritude, a literary and intellectual movement celebrating all aspects of African civilization. …show more content…
As stated in this discussion, this movement spawned the creation of different political parties. These parties helped bring about the first presidents of those nations and live under a democratic government and society. The Europeans contributed to the development of African Nationalism by being the source of discontent by the African people. Their rules and governance irritated the native population and eventually drove them to the point of seeking independence, which they eventually did as a