1. African Step Towards Development
Challenges of Newly Independent African Nations

2. Challenges to building governments
Building national unity
Loyalty was with family, village, and ethnic group rather than distant government
Tribalism – regionalism
Artificial boundaries splintered large ethnic groups
Tension between “tradition” and “modernity”
Economic differences
Conflict
Radical Islam – John Green Boko Haram Video – 7:00
Debt
Corruption – to hold power

3. Problems in Building Governments
Civil War
1. Economic divisions and ethnic conflict has led to civil war in many areas of Africa.
2. Many ethnic groups have tried to secede or break away from countries.
3. In 1994, ethnic tensions between Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda resulted in the massacre of 800,000 people.
4. Civil Wars have also broke out in countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, and Liberia in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

4. Rwandan Genocide Video background 3:14 Vid Video 3:18
From April to July 1994,
Members of the Hutu ethnic majority in the east-central African nation of Rwanda murdered as many as 800,000 people, mostly of the Tutsi minority.
Begun by extreme Hutu nationalists in the capital of Kigali, the genocide spread throughout the country with staggering speed and brutality, as ordinary citizens were incited by local officials and the Hutu Power government to take up arms against their neighbors.
By the time the Tutsi-led Rwandese Patriotic Front gained control of the country through a military offensive in early July, hundreds of thousands of Rwandans were dead and many more displaced from their homes.
The RPF victory created 2 million more refugees (mainly Hutus) from Rwanda, exacerbating what had already become a full-blown humanitarian crisis.

5. Parliamentary System system of government Parliamentary Republics
where in the ministers of the executive branch are drawn from the legislature
the executive and legislative branches are intertwined
the party (or a coalition of parties) with the greatest representation in the parliament (legislature) forms the government
its leader becoming prime minister
Political parties hold power to appoint Prime Minister
Prime minister may be removed from power whenever he loses the confidence of a majority of the ruling party or of the parliament
Parliamentary Republics
Should be democratic

6. purpose of one-party rule
Build national unity
one-party system could achieve democracy = reflected African tradition of consensus
Other parties limited
Supported by Julius Nyerere
Dominant Party Rule

7. military rule Government controlled by the military
Used to restore order
Get rid of corrupt leaders
Short term results
Creates personal rule
General Joseph Mobutu

8. autocratic rule Rule with absolute authority
Seen as necessary because of general weaknesses = many African nations
Robert Mugabe – video 5:10

9. Democratization 1980’s – Goal of many African Nations
Movement towards a free system of government
Article – “Why Western-style Democracy is not suitable for Africa”

10. Government stability= progress

11. Establishing Economic Systems

12. Key issue and goal How much government control over the economy
Economic self reliance

13. Socialism State control to best meets need of people
Way to end privilege/rejected colonialism
Reflected African Traditions
Government owns and operate major businesses and controls other parts of the economy
Few successes

14. mixed economies Most African nations today Promote private ownership
Build factories and produce good for their own use
Multinational companies

15. Economic Choices and Challenges

16. Structural Legacies
--Economies based on raw material exports
--Aid/dependency
--Migrant labor/labor compounds
Cultural Legacies
--Public Health
--Education
--Tension between “tradition” and “modernity”

17. Challenges to developing agriculture
Focus on cash crops for export – not food crops
Artificially low food prices by governments
so people can afford food
Population growth
Drought

18. economic dependence and trade
Try to diversify: agriculture and industry
Reduce dependence and limit expensive imports (oil)
Influenced by external factors especially world Market prices for products
Debt, drought, conflict

19. Controlling Population
cause of population explosion
Tradition and health care
Strains on government
Need for school, jobs, housing, healthcare, family planning