Why Was It Hard for African Countries to Stay Together After Colonial Rule?

After European countries left Africa, many new nations faced big problems. These countries often included many different groups of people who spoke different languages and had different customs. Unlike Asia, Africa didn’t have one big ancient civilization to bring people together. Because of this, Africa became divided into many smaller parts.

The idea of nationalism—that people who share a country or culture should rule themselves—was popular with African leaders who were educated in European ways. For example, Senegal’s president was a Muslim who wrote poetry in French and loved the German writer Goethe! But this nationalism sometimes made divisions worse because it ignored how colonial powers had kept the continent together, even if unfairly.

African leaders looked back at their history for inspiration. West Africans remembered great kingdoms like Mali and Ghana, and East Africans thought about old ruins like those in Zimbabwe. They used these stories to build national pride, just like European countries had done long ago.

Even though Africa has many natural resources like minerals, its future was uncertain. Colonial powers had left behind weak schools and governments, and not enough trained people to run the country. Many African economies depended on selling one or two important products to the rest of the world, often because of decisions made during colonial times.

During World War II, some African colonies started growing cash crops—plants grown to sell, not just to eat—because the British and Americans needed them. This brought some money but also caused big changes. Cities grew quickly, and many people had to adjust to new ways of living.

After independence, some African countries tried to build factories and make their own goods. But sometimes, this hurt farmers because the prices for their crops stayed low, and they didn’t have enough reason to grow more food. At the same time, populations were growing fast, making these problems even harder.

Because of all this, many people were unhappy. They expected freedom to bring better lives, but the reality was often disappointing.