To what extent was Tanzanian independence dependant on the personality of Julius Nyerere?
Sanya Aurora
DP-1
Q- To what extent was Tanzanian independence dependant on the personality of Julius
Nyerere?
During the period of British decolonisation, African countries experienced a more delayed decolonisation than colonies such as India and Malaya. From 1950 to 1960, there was a sudden rush of African decolonisation. The decolonisation occurred during the pitch of the Cold War, and was kicked off by the war over the Suez Canal, where Egyptian forces defeated France and Britain. The above are definitely factors that lead to decolonisation all over Africa. Also Britain had no real incentive to hang on to most of their colonies in Africa, no political or economic reasons. When speaking of Tanzania, or Tanganyika as it was called before joining with Zanzibar in 1963, and the process of independence, the name Julius Nyerere jumps to mind. This essay will throw light on the above mentioned factors, and will investigate the extent to which Julius Nyerere was responsible for Tanzanian independence.
The method of government was different in Africa than it had been in India, principally because the colonies were so different. Britain got off to a late start in the race for colonisation, and there was a scramble for Africa, as there were a lot of countries there which had yet to be colonised. Many of these African countries had little or no natural resources, very little infrastructure and no educated middle class, unlike India, where there had been infrastructure previously, and where the British made investments. Tanzania was originally a German colony, and the Germans had made very little investment toward their colony. Thus, when Tanganyika became a British mandate according to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 they had a lot to do. However at the same time their economy was worsening due to the losses suffered in the War. As a result there was heavy taxation on the people. The population was suffocated. However due to the fact that there were mostly tribes, and that the country was poor and there were no opportunities for education, there was not much rise of nationalism. There was, however, a danger of violence breaking out.
After World War Two, there was a need for the British to invest in defence during the Cold War. Thus they started investing in their colonies to decrease their dependency. The colonies began to become economically independent, and so there was a rise in education in Tanganyika and there was a start of the national movement. Julius Nyerere was educated in a Roman Catholic school, and studied in Edinburgh University.1. This shows that education was available, even if to a few. This economic upliftment also provided Britain cheap food and export earnings, due to which many British people began to feel as if ‘neo-colonialism’ or the control of economies, would be far more profitable than the traditional colonial rule. The Labour Party came into control in Britain in 1945, and they were against colonialism. This helped in accelerating decolonisation also.1 The British would stand to gain more if they invested in the markets of other European countries, rather than in the economies of their colonies. The traditional colonialism had not protected their interests against America, and with the danger of violence eminent in the late 1950s, holding on to their colonies was no longer so appealing to the British government.1 Another reason the British felt pressured to decolonise was the Cold War, the emergence of a bi-polar world. The US was the power in the west, and it wanted free trade for “neo-colonialism”. Britain however did not allow its colonies to trade with America. Thus they were very much in favour of decolonisation. They did not want Britain in control of possible markets. 1
