In terms of geography and population,
Africa was still African. Politically it was pre-empted, occupied,
dominated and exploited by European empire builders, who used the over,
all trade name of western civilization.
Excessive costs of empire building, including the disastrous losses of
military struggle from 1914 to 1945, impoverished and weakened the
European overlords to such an extent that they could no longer maintain
their footholds in Africa. At the same time African minorities in
various parts of the continent launched independence movements under the
slogan of self-determination, drove out the European occupiers,
organized political states and declared that Africa must be governed by
and for Africans.
Much of Africa, at the time, was organized along tribal lines, which cut
across the boundaries drawn by the European imperialists between their
colonial territories. The resulting chaos temporarily removed Africa
from any meaningful role in the planet-wide contest for pelf and power.
Africans are politically sovereign. Economically and culturally they
remain dependent on their former European masters.
Politically, western civilization is in a state of flux. Its European
homeland is basically divided by potent fears, ambitions, feuds and
conflicts, and separated geographically from North America and Asia.
Despite several attempts to unify the continent politically, Europe was
disrupted, fragmented and weakened by two general wars in a single
generation.
Pages:
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130