Name: ___________________________________________________________________________

Ms. Reyes/Ms. Rust

Date: ______________

Mini-Lesson 8: The Challenge of Democracy in Africa

AIM: How did colonial rule limit the democracy of some African nations?
DO NOW: If we are to remain free, if we are to enjoy the full benefits of Africas enormous wealth, we must
unite to plan for the full exploitation of our human and material resources in the interest of all our people
-Kwame Nkrumah (1950s)
This quotation best expresses the major goal of
1. colonialism
2. Pan-Africanism
3. imperialism
4. urbanization
Explain:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CLASSWORK: Complete the reading, questions, and graphic organizer while you read.

Colonial Rule Limits Democracy

African nations have had a hard time setting up democratic governments because of the effects of colonial rule.
European powers made borders in Africa that paid no attention to ethnic groupings. They put people who disliked
each other in the same area. This practice caused conflict. Also, the European nations never built up the economies
of their colonies. Most of the colonies lacked a middle class or skilled workers. Both are needed for a strong
democracy. When Britain and France gave their African colonies independence, they gave them democratic
governments. But problems soon arose between rival groups.

1. According to the text, identify three things that have slowed democracy in Africa.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What problems did colonial rule create?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Civil War in Nigeria; Nigerias Nation-Building

In 1960, Nigeria became independent from Britain. It adopted a federal system. In a federal system, power is shared
between state governments and a central authority. But conflict broke out in just a few years. The people of one
ethnic groupthe Igbotried to break away from Nigeria in 1967. The Igbo lost in a three-year civil war. A period of
martial law, or military rule, followed the war. In 1979 Nigeria got an elected government. Some army officers said the
government was corrupt. The officers overthrew the government in 1983. Once in power, they treated the people
from other ethnic groups harshly. They jailed dissidents, opponents of government policy. The military rulers allowed
elections in 1993. But they did not accept the results of the elections and continued to rule the land.

3. What happened after Nigerias civil war?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
South Africa Under Apartheid
In South Africa, the conflict was between races. From its beginnings under Dutch and British control, South Africa was
racially divided. A small white minority ruled a large black majority. In 1910, South Africa gained self-rule as a
dominion of the British Empire. In 1931, it became an independent member of the British Commonwealth. Although
South Africa had a constitutional government, the constitution gave whites power and denied the black majority its
rights.
In 1948, the National Party came to power in South Africa. This party promoted Afrikaner, or Dutch South African,
nationalism. It also instituted a policy of apartheid, complete separation of the races. The minority government
banned social contacts between whites and blacks. It established segregated schools, hospitals, and
neighborhoods. In 1959, the minority government set up reserves, called homelands, for the countrys major black
groups. Blacks were forbidden to live in white areas unless they worked as servants or laborers for whites. The
homelands policy was totally unbalanced. Although blacks made up about 75 percent of the population, the
government set aside only 13 percent of the land for them. Whites kept the best land.
Black South Africans were denied many basic rights. Some joined together in a group
called the African National Congress (ANC) to fight for their rights. During apartheid, a law
was passed called the "pass law." This law required all of South Africa's black citizens to
carry a special identification card. Under the law, whites were not required to carry them. If
a black person was caught on the street without one, he or she could be put in jail for a
month. On March 21, 1960, between 5,000 and 7,000 black South Africans gathered outside
city government offices in Sharpeville, South Africa. They were there to ask to be arrested
for not carrying their identification cards. This was done to protest the pass law. Police were
sent to end the protest. The police fired their guns into the crowd, which sent people
running. When the shooting stopped, 69 protesters were dead and at least another 180
were injured. The white government cracked down on the ANC. They put many ANC
leaders in prison. Nelson Mandela, the leader of the ANC, was one of the people imprisoned in 1964.

4. According to the text, what is an Afrikaner?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. According to the text, what is apartheid

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Why was the African National Congress formed?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Struggle for Democracy
By the late 1980s, several riots had taken place. Blacks angrily struck back against apartheid.

People in other nations also opposed apartheid. They boycotted, or would not buy, goods
produced in South Africa. They hoped the boycott would persuade the South African government
to end apartheid. In 1990, President F. W. de Klerk took that step. He made the ANC legal and
released ANC leader Nelson Mandela from prison. The South African parliament passed a law
ending apartheid. In April 1994, all South Africanseven blacks were able to vote in an election
for a new leader. The ANC and Mandela won easily. In 1996, the new government approved a
new constitution. It gave equal rights to all South Africans.

7. According to the text, why did F. W. de Klerk end apartheid?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. How did apartheid end? Cite evidence from the text in your answer.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Summary:
How did colonial rule limit the democracy of some African nations?

OBJECTIVE SEVEN ACTIVITIES: Read the following excerpt from Nelson Mandelas book, Long Walk to Freedom.
Complete one of the following Objective Activities.

Option 1: Answer the following questions in complete sentences, citing evidence from the text.
1. Can you think of a time in your life that you or someone you know had a choice between using violence to
accomplish a goal? What choice was made? Was it effective? Why or why not?
2. Why did Nelson Mandela support non-violent civil disobedience?
3. What does Mandela mean by purely ethical grounds?
4. Were Mandelas reasons for supporting non-violence civil disobedience the same as Gandhis?
Option 2: Write a conversation that might occur between Nelson Mandela and Gandhi regarding the use of
non-violence. Include in your conversation each mans perspective on non-violent civil disobedience, and
some experiences each had that led them to that perspective. Your conversation should be at least one page
long, should cite specific information from the text and notes, and should include vocabulary from the unit list.
Option 3: Watch the Apartheid BrainPop. Take the Quiz and complete the Activity graphic organizer (not the
vocabulary graphic organizer).