INTRODUCTION
Using Nigeria as an example, decolonisation created more problems than it solved but the consequences suffered by the new independent countries were more related to the socio-economic and political structures that were laid down by the colonial powers during colonization to ensure that they dominate and continue to help themselves to the natural and human resources of the countries they colonised. Therefore, one could say that where European colonisation of Africa and Asia can be defined as an unequal relationship between colonial power and colony, in which the colonial power expanded on that territory and exploited them, decolonization on the other hand was the continued exploitation of Africa and Asia from outside and within. This, in addition to continued European political intervention in post-colonial years or Neo colonialism as defined by Frantz Fannon (anti-colonial intellectual)
Crucial to the process of decolonization was the Atlantic Charter of August 14, 1941. It contained the right of peoples to self-determination and gave independence activists in colonies hope for progress in the implementation of their demands for freedom. The weakening of the colonial powers in the Second World War, together with the aforementioned social change in Africa, i.e awakening of a sense of nationalism, created the favorable conditions for the efforts towards self-determination.
In reality though, the colonial powers had no intention of withdrawing due in most parts to the economic importance of the colonies, thereby ensuring they maintain their relationship in the form of neo- colonialism.
PROBLEMS
The world was marked by disintegration due to war. Some of the consequences of the First and Second World Wars included the genocide of Jews, and the collapse of several empires. Europe lost its predominant place in the world due to its determination to defeat its enemies at all costs thus engaging in four years of total war which almost led to its ruination. Most colonial powers were anxious to dump their colonies as it was no longer financially wise to hold on to them. In Indo –china the French were forced to withdraw after suffering humiliating defeat at the hands of Vietnamese revolutionary forces, also in Algeria , they refused to leave which resulted in a war that lasted almost eight years between 1954 to1962 leading to around 45,00 deaths.
Having deliberately kept the level of economic development and education of the local people low, colonial powers removed senior administrators with European rule to be replaced by locals who had little experience in governance. What the locals inherited was a political structure that benefitted the evolving ruling class and had no regards for the needs of the people, this structure is still very much in place in Nigeria today, power and economic wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, known as the Cabal or some sort of Oligarchy. The handover has been severally criticized, “attention was not given to the situation of individuals after independence, and independence given under those conditions was unacceptable as it will leave majority of individuals worse off”. (Charles Beitz)
There was also the problem of the creation of unnatural borders by the colonial powers in their bid to divide up the “spoils” with ease. They completely bypassed local ethnic structures leading to a complete change in the political map of the African continent. These disparities are reflected clearly on the African continent. Clearly exhibiting a lack of respect for the colonies and their subjects, they forcefully merged different tribes and different cultures in order to achieve their own economic advantage not caring that they had created lifelong tensions between these communities.
They used divide and rule tactics to ensure their economic grips in places like India and Pakistan and therefore created rifts between those countries that are still very visible today and refuse to heal. As far back as the 1900’s British forces had begun imposing drastic political and economic policies on the Nigerian people which would lead to important consequences in the future.
The Royal Niger Company was crucial in securing most of Nigeria’s major ports and monopolised coastal trade; this resulted in the severing of the ties which had linked the area to the flourishing West African regional trade network. From the beginning, divide and rule tactics were employed by both traders and administrators, highlighting ethno-religious differences and playing groups against one another. After 1914, the north was permitted a system of indirect rule under authoritarian leaders, while in the south the British exercised control directly.
Britain and France made sure to maximize their economic and political frameworks to serve their advantage long after independence had been granted. Under European rule, people were forced to grow cash crops which the colonials bought for stipends then brought back to the people as finished products at exorbitant prices, creating a culture among Africans of a life-long dependence on foreign goods and services.
Where we sell crude oil for stipends and buy it back as finished products at a much higher rate. We must take responsibility for not being able to run functioning refineries but we also need to consider that it is not beneath the colonial powers to make sure that refineries never function properly so as to ensure our dependence on their services. It was not uncommon for the Colonial powers to achieve their aims by coercing governments to support their agendas and went as far as instigating and aiding coups against democratically elected governments.
Most of the population eventually abandoned food production for market-dependent crops (peanuts and cotton in the north, palm oil in the east, and cocoa in the west). To this day, the disparities between the different regions of Nigeria are so great that they have been unable to achieve common goals or progress since independence on the 1st of October 1960. Failure to dismantle the internal political structures imposed by European colonial regimes allowed ethnic and regional-based political competition which continues to act as such a strong obstacle to national unity.
Despite the preamble to the constitution that promises a joint ‘resolve to live in unity and peace’ with one another and a declaration that the State is “Indivisible and Indissoluble” there have been increasing calls by IPOB/Biafra to divorce itself from Nigeria by all means. This division is arguably because of how Nigeria came into existence, not for the benefit of the people who currently live in it, but for the benefit of the colonial masters, who have long ago sailed away and abandoned ship but somehow still manage to earn dividends from their illegal capture of people and land that they had no business being on through several oil companies that harm the people and ruin the soil. Of course aided by our ‘Faux Elites’, i.e politicians, government etc.
With decolonization there was an increased number of ethnic and religious conflicts. There was no real attempt by the colonial powers in tackling political and economic problems in these societies.
The weakness of State institutions contributed to the growth of corruption and frequent political upheavals, leading to authoritarian rule of an often violent nature. All these factors have contributed to economic and political instability of the new independent countries.
They have also been plagued by socio-economic backwardness, including the lack of qualified personnel. Nigeria at the time of independence and with a population of 30 million inhabitants had only 150 lawyers and 160 doctors of local origin.
Conclusion
Decolonization was merely a continuance or a more politically correct version of European colonization and imperialism. Colonization merely paved way for the present conditions.
Bibliography
Baylis J., [ed], S. S. (2001). The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations (2nd edition) . Oxford: Oxford University Press .
Beihami H., F. M. (2014, April 7). World Scientific News. Retrieved November Tuesday, 22nd , 2016, from http://www.worldscientificnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/WSN-1-2014-34-39.pdf.
Talton, B. (2011). African Age: African and African Diasporan Transformation in The 20th century. Retrieved November Tuesday, 22nd, 2016, from Scomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture: http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-challenge-of-decolonization-africa.html#neo
http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-challenge-of-decolonization-africa.html#neo
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