Post Colonial Africa

The development of post-colonial Africa during the second-half of the 20th century was one of the most complex periods in world history. During the period, Africans received their independence from their colonial masters and believed that they would not only be allowed new opportunities but also be granted security in their lives. However, many hardships negatively impacted the advancement of the entire continent; one of the significant difficulties that occurred post-independence was economic stagnation. A primary reason that economic under-development occurred was a result of the political leadership and ideology that arose to fill the void that was left by the departure of colonial powers. The purpose of this reflection is to show how autocratic …show more content…
Through the lens of these journal entries, the events that prevented economic development throughout Africa are shown to be connected by a theme of political instability that originated as a result of the ambitions of political leaders to obtain supremacy and of the ambitions of foreign powers to manipulate the internal and external structures of African nations for their purposes. African economic development was negatively influenced by the political instability that resulted from competing political philosophies and dictatorial leadership that arose from the independence movements of the mid-20th century. Although many Africans believed that freedom from colonial rule would end their hardships and bring economic and political stability to the region, many nations quickly realized that the ramifications of colonialism would last for many decades and would hamper their ability to transition to democracy. In the end, the transitional period that occurred post-independence was of great importance to the development of modern African history and needs to be understood and appreciated to grasp the history that