1. African and Middle Eastern Independence Movements

2. African Independence Movements

4. African Nationalism
In the 1930’s, many African colonies were demanding independence from European colonial powers.
WWII became a turning point for Africa because promises of self-rule were made in return for Africa providing routes for military supplies.
United Nations Charter – The Right of Self-Determination:
“The political right of the majority to the exercise of power within the boundaries of a generally accepted political unit, area, or territory.”
The Pan Africanism movement was one that promoted the cultural unity of people of African heritage in their struggle for freedom.

5. Reasons for Successful African Independence Movements after WWII
Right to self-determination (UN Charter)
Peaceful and violent revolutions after WWII
Pride in African culture and heritage
Resentment of imperial rule and economic exploitation
Loss of colonies by Great Britain, France, Portugal, and Belgium
Influence of superpower rivalry during the Cold War

6. Algeria

7. Algeria was the heart of the French colonial empire in Africa
Algeria had been legally absorbed into France
Algerians voted for representatives to the French National Assembly in Paris
Voting restrictions were placed on the large majority of Muslim Arabs

8. Colons (Europeans) = 10% of the population but owned most of the industry and the best land
Nationalists formed the Algerian National Liberation Front (French initials are FLN) led by Ben Bella

9. Both colons and the French authorities resisted Algerian independence

10. The Algerian War of Independence ( ), a guerrilla-style struggle between the French army and pro-independence Algerians, left in its wake over a million Algerian citizens (both military and civilians) dead and the widespread destruction of the land.
This was a very brutal war with torture and atrocities on both sides.

11. Ghana

12. British Colonies
One nationalist leader was Kwame Nkrumah. He organized a campaign of civil disobedience (peaceful) against the British in 1948.
This led to increased pressure on the British to allow national elections. In 1951, Nkrumah’s party won and by 1957, the “Gold Coast” of Africa achieved full independence. It was renamed Ghana.

13. Kenya

14. British Colonies (continued)
Ghana’s example was an example to many nationalists.
By the 1950’s, KENYA was given a greater political role in East Africa.
The Kikuya - Kenya’s largest ethnic group
Led by Jomo Kenyatta - the first Prime Minister and President

15. The Kikuya: Excluded from large political roles
In the early 1950’s, a terror group (within the Kikuya) called the Mau Mau initiated a very violent rebellion
The British eventually put down this rebellion but not Kenya’s desire for independence.
Both sides were accused of atrocities
Kenyatta was jailed as a suspected Mau Mau leader and, then, released in He won an easy victory in national elections in 1963 and, later that year, they voted for independence from Great Britain.

17. POINT
“From 1952, when a state of emergency was declared, until the end of the war in 1960, tens of thousands of Mau Mau detainees died from exhaustion, disease, hunger and systematic physical brutality”
Caroline Elkins of Harvard University

18. COUNTER-POINT
“There is another side to the coin of British brutality — that of the horrors inflicted by the Mau Mau. Moreover, the vast majority of their victims were not British settlers, their supposed enemies, but Africans like themselves”
The Daily Mail

19. South Africa

20. South Africa was created in 1910 with the union of two British and two Boer (Dutch) territories. It was ruled by whites who had dominant status and only linked itself to Great Britain in foreign affairs.
By custom, whites and non-whites were segregated socially. Non whites were given less educational opportunities and could, by law, only get low-paying manual work.
In 1948 the National Party came to power. These were African speaking Dutch descendents. They established segregation and economic exploitation as government policy. This was known as APARTHEID (“apartness”).

21. A sign warning white South Africans
against native danger

22. The African National Congress (ANC) fought apartheid by openly fighting these laws. Some of the members, including a black lawyer named Nelson Mandela, felt they should confront the violent responses of the South African government against the protestors.
At the Sharpeville Massacre 69 black South Africans were shot by police at a peaceful protest - over 150 are wounded.
The ANC is banned and Mandela goes underground forming 'The Spear of the Nation' (MK) military group with arms.
Mandela issues a call to arms and becomes leader of the Umkhontoat ANC guerilla movement.

23. 1962 Aug - Mandela is arrested and imprisoned in the Johannesburg Fort.
1962 Oct – sentenced to 5 years in prison but goes on the run
Mandela is recaptured and tried for treason and sabotage and is sentenced to life imprisonment.
Steven Biko and Desmond Tutu continued to protest apartheid
Biko was eventually killed, but many joined the anti-apartheid movement.

24. In the 1980s the government began to abandon their strict policies
In the 1980s the government began to abandon their strict policies. Nations around the world imposed economic sanctions to try and force South Africa to further eliminate racist policies.
In September 1989, F.W. de Klerk was elected President of South Africa. He lifted a 30-year ban on antiapartheid activities and legalized the ANC. He, also, ordered the release of Nelson Mandela – 27 years
In 1994, South Africa held its first all-races elections and Nelson Mandela was elected President. He served until 1999.

25. Country: _________________________
Independence from: ________________
___________ struggle for Independence
Major Leader: _____________________
Country: _________________________
Independence from: ________________
___________ struggle for Independence
Led by the __________ __________
Major Leader: _____________________
Country: _________________________
Independence from: ________________
___________ transition to Independence
Major Leader: _____________________
Country: ____________________________
Independence from: ___________________
___________ struggle against ___________
Major Leaders: _______________________
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26. Middle Eastern Independence Movements

27. The Mandate System
Colonies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire were given to The League of Nations to administer after WWI
Mandates were granted independence after WWII

29. League of Nation Mandates
French Mandates
British Mandates
Syria- received independence in 1946
Lebanon- received independence in 1943
Iraq—received independence in 1932
Transjordan- received independence in 1946 became Jordan
Palestine-received independence in 1948 became Israel

30. Egypt
After WWII, Great Britain faced demands for independence from its mandates that were assigned after World War I.
King Farouk of Egypt headed a corrupt government
In a group of army leaders toppled the king and declared Egypt a republic. Soon, they declared their independence from Great Britain.

31. Gamal Abdel Nasser became the new leader of Egypt and one of his first acts was to nationalize the Suez Canal .
Connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea (Med to Red)
Took from Suez Canal Company and British and French stockholders
Made it Egypt’s possession

32. Great Britain, France, and Israel felt threatened by this move because they wanted their ships to have free passage through the canal.
They devised a plan that Israel should launch an attack across the canal and into Egypt. The British and French, meanwhile, would pretend to intervene and, then, destroy Egyptian armed forces in the process.
The plan almost went into effect but Egypt refused intervention. Both sides sank each other ships until the US threatened to stop giving aid to Britain if the fighting did not stop. They were worried that the Soviet Union would intervene and did not want to start a larger conflict.
The Suez crisis, however, was seen as a final defeat for European imperialism

33. Gamal Abdel Nasser: President of Egypt Nationalized Suez Canal
Established a relationship with the Soviet Union
Built Aswan High Dam (to control floods and provide electricity)

34. Palestine and Israel In 1939, the British reversed the
Balfour Declaration
In 1948, the United Nations divided Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states
Arabs disagreed and very angry with this decision

35. Golda Meir: 1st woman and 4th Prime Minister of Israel
Former prime minister David Ben-Gurion used to call Meir "the best man in the government“
She was often portrayed as the "strong-willed, straight-talking, grey-bunned grandmother of the Jewish people."

36. Meir led Israel to victory in the Yom Kippur War