Africa during the interwar years
During the early 1900s, imperial rule began to weigh on more and more Africans. The effects of colonial power especially impacted Kenyans and Rhodesians. They were forced off the most fertile lands and were forbidden from growing profitable crops. In Kenya, the British made the Kenyans carry I.D.carbs and were limited on where they could live or travel. All throughout Africa, people were being forced to do work in order to pay taxes. Africans began to resent imperialism and wanted to the imperial powers to give up their rule in Africa. This bitterness fueled common protests throughout Africa. In Kenya, Kikuyu leaders protested the loss of their land, forced labor, heavy taxes, and the dreaded I.D. cards. The British immediately jailed the protesters in Kenya. In Nigeria the women were the providers. British policies towards women threatened their rights and thus the “Women’s War” ensued. It was a full-fledged revolt and the women had weapons. The women mocked and taunted the British troops and the British muzzled them with gunfire.
South Africa
From 1910 until 1940, whites became more prominent in South Africa. They wanted the whites and the black South Africans to be separated so they imposed a system of racial segregation known as apartheid. Their goal was to guarantee dominate economic power for whites. They restricted better paying jobs for whites only and South African blacks were pushed into low-paying and less skilled work. Blacks were evicted from fertile land and forced to live on
reservations. Along with these new laws, they make black South Africans carry I.D. cards (similar to those in Kenya) and they abolished the black’s right to vote.
Nationalism in Africa
Although Africans were being oppressed, during the 1920’s, the movement of Pan-Africanism began to nurture the pro-independence essence throughout Africa. This movement stressed the importance of the unity of Africans all around the world. Nationalism surged in Africa because of this movement. Pride in African culture also became known as negritude. This new-found self-confidence helped pave the way for change in Africa. There were many inspiring leaders in this movement. Among one of the most motivating leaders was Marcus Garvey.
A Closer Look at Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey was born on August 17, 1887 in Jamaica. He was a printer’s apprentice at age 14 then he became a union organizer. He also worked various jobs across Central America. Garvey saw blacks being oppressed everywhere he went and it truly impacted him. This fueled his concern for the uplift of Africans all across the globe. His goal was to return African Americans to Africa to create a lively black nation empowered through economic independence. Although some of his goals were controversial, they inspired other black leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. In 1914, after studying abroad in England, Garvey returned to Jamaica and formed the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). The aim for the UNIA was to increase black self-determination. During 1916, Garvey came to the United States and later began publishing the Negro World newspaper. The newspaper served as the voice of the UNIA. Garvey was determined to get economic independence of African Americans. In order to do so, he created the Negroes Factories Association in 1919. He also organized the Black Star Line, which was a shipping company that he planned to use to transport passengers back to Africa. Garvey was a very good organizer but not a good business man. He was accused and convicted of fraud from the Black Star Line. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Marcus Garvey was later deported from the United States back to Jamaica. He then moved to London where he eventually died in 1940. Marcus Garvey's message of pride and dignity still inspires many Africans today. Marcus Garvey was a key leader of the Pan-Africanism movement.
African nationalism sadly did not change much in Africa except in Egypt. During WWI, Egyptians were forced to help in the war effort for the British. This caused resentment from the Egyptians towards the British. People from all different cultures and parts of the world united to help defend the Wafd party, who wanted independence for Egypt. They launched strikes and riots. In 1922, the British finally agreed to declare Egypt’s independence. Although they were technically self-governing, the British were still present there.
Review Questions:
1) What movement helped pave the way for change in Africa?
2) What was the goal of the white South Africans when they imposed the apartheid?
3) A. What was the main goal of the United Negro Improvement Association?
B. What newspaper served as the voice of the United Negro Improvement Association?
4) Explain what factors in Egypt lead the British to give them their independence.
5) Why was Marcus Garvey’s attempt of bringing back African Americans to Africa unsuccessful?
Citations:
-"apartheid." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.
-"Marcus Garvey." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.
-"pan-Africanism."World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.
Primary Sources:
"About Marcus Garvey and the Black Star Line." About Marcus Garvey and the Black Star Line. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2013.
-"Apartheid in South Africa." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.