1. From Debt to Democratization, 1980-2000
HI177 | A History of Africa since 1800
Term 2 | Week 10 | Dr Sacha Hepburn

2. Outline of Lecture Economic Decline and Growing Debts
Debt and Structural Adjustment
The End of the Cold War
Struggles for Democracy
Pro-democracy movements and civil society
Democratization
Zambia and Kenya
Conclusions

3. Economic Decline
Economic legacies of colonial rule: dependence on one or two exports for income and foreign exchange
1960s: global prices of key commodities falls
1970s: oil shocks lead to global spike in oil prices, increased import costs and declining export revenues
Economic mismanagement by African governments
African socialism: failures of nationalisation and villagization
State control leads to inefficiency and corruption
Capitalism regimes also suffer, distorted economies due to favouring supporters
Early 1980s: many African countries getting poorer year on year

4. Debt & Structural Adjustment
Late 1970s-80s: Many African states turn to International Monetary Fund & World Bank
Costs of debt servicing increases - $449 million in to $7.4 billion in 1984
Conditionality: states must implement reforms determined by IMF and WB
Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPS): reduced gov spending, privatisation, removal of subsidies and tariffs
The consequences of structural adjustment? Cartoon undated

5. The End of the Cold War
End of the Cold War meant a reduction in international support for African dictatorships (East & West)
Overthrow of authoritarian governments in Europe inspired and reinvigorated African pro-democracy movements
Western governments began to push human rights and democracy promotion as key policy concerns
Fall of Berlin Wall, 1989

6. Struggles for Democracy
Long history of pro-democracy movements
Since independence, journalists, religious leaders and trade unionists tried to prevent government abuses of power
Resistance even under military rule
1970s: opposition broadened and deepened – impact of economic decline and government intransigence
Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) supporters in Zambia, undated

7. Struggles for Democracy
1980s: generational shift as young people became politicised - no link to liberation movements, experiences of unemployment and repression
Civil society grows - moves from criticising individual policies to foundations of authoritarianism
Some governments pursue reform in face of opposition, others pursue repression
Domestic and intl pressure builds – reform of some sort inevitable?
Pro-democracy march,
Nigeria, undated

8. Democratization
Democratization involves transition to multipartyism, reconstitution of a new political order, consolidating democratic gains
Zambia
1970s: Collapse of economy
1980s: Growth of broad pro-democracy/anti-UNIP movement
1991: President Kaunda chose reform, peaceful multiparty elections
Kenya
Stability of KANU one-party state declined over time
1988 onward: opposition grew despite state repression
President Moi tried to hold onto power but domestic and intl (US) pressure intensified
Elections held in 1992 and won by KANU

9. Conclusions
Democratization of late 1980s to 1990s resulted from combination of:
Economic decline from the 1970s and growing debts
Impacts of the end of the Cold War
Work of local pro-democracy movements and civil society
Democratisation is far from complete:
Depth of democracy is shallow in many places
Military interventions in politics continue
Widespread ethnic voting and rise of exclusionary, often violent identity politics
Many opposition movements continue to face violence and repression