How did decolonization unfold in Africa?
Many African societies achieved independence from European colonial rule through different paths in the mid-twentieth century.
Historical context and developments
Political organizing, unions, wars and international pressures varied. Ghana’s independence in 1957 and Algeria’s long war followed different paths. Women, workers and rural communities participated alongside state leaders.
Consequences and interpreting sources
Borders, economies and foreign involvement remained contested after independence. No one liberation year or success measure represents the whole continent.
Related topics
What was the American War of Independence?Who were the Lydians?How did Viking voyages develop?What was the Mongol Empire?How was slavery abolished in the United States?How did the first crewed Moon landing happen?Scientific and Cultural Achievements in the Islamic WorldHow did the Napoleonic Wars unfold?How did the early internet develop?What was the Berlin Wall?The Founding of the Republic of TürkiyeThe Ottoman EmpireHow was Tokugawa Japan governed?How did the Roman Republic work?How did the Crusades begin?World War IHow did the Indus civilization develop?What was the Maastricht Treaty?The Seljuk Sultanate of RumWhat was the Hundred Years’ War?What was the Gupta period?How did the Western Roman Empire end?What was the Hanseatic League?How did the Turkish War of Independence unfold?What was the Safavid state?The Invention of WritingHow did the Haitian Revolution happen?How was Germany unified?How did the Fatimid state develop?The Roman EmpireWhat was the Kingdom of Urartu?Ancient Egyptian CivilizationHow did printing spread in Europe?History as a DisciplineHow did Alexander the Great's campaigns unfold?How was the United Nations founded?How did the Chinese Revolution culminate in 1949?How did the 1979 Iranian Revolution unfold?What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?The ReformationWhat was the Enlightenment?Why did the Peloponnesian War begin?How did Sumerian city-states emerge?How did the Soviet Union dissolve?Why is the Shang dynasty important?Why did the Revolutions of 1848 spread?The Industrial RevolutionWhy was the League of Nations founded?The RenaissanceAncient Greek Civilization