NationMaster - Encyclopedia: African socialism

African socialism is a belief in sharing economic resources in a "traditional" African way, as distinct from classical socialism. Many African politicians of the 1950s and 1960s professed their support for African socialism, although definitions and interpretations of this term varied considerably. A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subjfuck grapesect to control by the community[1] for the purposes of increasing social and economic equality and cooperation. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ...

After the independence of most African countries during the 1960s, newly formed African regimes could not easily claim a great victory over the Europeans if they continued to use the same system that those oppressors had designed, namely capitalism, since all imperial regimes had been mainly capitalist, even if their adherence to free markets was not absolute. Socialism was popular among African leaders because it represented a break from the imperial ruling tradition. Socialism seemed, to many, to be all that capitalism was not. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Capitalism (disambiguation). ... This article is about the political and historical term. ...

At the same time, however, advocates of African socialism claimed that it was not the opposite of capitalism nor a response to it, but something completely different. Nationalists claimed it was fully African, appealing to an African identity that was even stronger than anti-capitalism. Their socialism, they claimed, was merely a recapturing of the spirit of what it was to be African.

A multitude of reasons were presented in support of African socialism. Many believed that Africa was too far “behind” capitalist states in terms of economic development to compete fairly with them. Others appealed to a sense of unity that would not be provided by the competitive capitalist systems. Still others believed that the development of Africa should be planned in order to avoid wasting scarce resources, and avoid future class conflicts. Class conflict is both the friction that accompanies social relationships between members or groups of different social classes and the underlying tensions or antagonisms which exist in society. ...

African identity and socialism were often intertwined. Some leaders claimed that Africa had always been “socialist,” and appealed to socialism as a unifying cultural element for Africans. This was not by any means the only form of African identity that they appealed to, but the combination of socialism and African identity was doubly effective in ending the era of old imperial regimes. Social revolution usually went hand-in-hand with socialism.

However, most regimes following African socialist programmes did not deliver on the promises of self-sufficiency, prosperity, and equality, and as a result many have grown disillusioned with African socialism.

Proponents of African socialism

Leaders such as Agostinho Neto, Marien Ngouabi, Kwame Nkrumah, Mengistu Haile Mariam, and Siad Barre, while avowed socialists, were widely considered to build their respective countries on a structure that was much more Soviet-oriented than indigenous. Julius Kambarage Nyerere (April 13, 1922 - October 14, 1999) was President of Tanzania, and previously Tanganyika, from the countrys founding in 1964 until his retirement in 1985. ... Mugabe redirects here. ... AmÃlcar Lopes Cabral (September 21, 1924 â€“ January 20, 1973) was an African agronomic engineer, writer and nationalist politician. ... Kenneth David Kaunda, commonly known as KK (born April 28, 1924) served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991. ... Modibo Keita (or Kéïta; b. ... US President Reagan and President Samora Machel of Mozambique Samora MoisÃ©s Machel (September 29, 1933 - October 19, 1986) was President of Mozambique from 1975 until he died eleven years later, when his presidential aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain where the borders of Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland converge. ... Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (IPA: ) (born 18 July 1918) is the former President of South Africa, and the first to be elected in fully representative democratic elections. ... </ref> |dead=alive |death_date= |death_place= |spouse=Zanele Mbeki nÃ©e Dlamini[2][3] |party=African National Congress[2] }} Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (born June 18, 1942) is the current President of the Republic of South Africa. ... Albert John Lutuli (also known by his Zulu name Mvumbi, his surname is sometimes and probably more phonetically spelt Luthuli) (1898? - 21 July 1967) was a South African teacher and politician. ... Michel Micombero (1940–July 16, 1983) was the President of Burundi from November 28, 1966 to November 1, 1976. ... Mondlane on a Mozambican 1000 metical note. ... President Sam Nujoma Samuel Daniel Shafiishuna Nujoma (born May 12, 1929) was the first President of Namibia. ... Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga (b. ... Didier Ratsiraka (born November 4, 1936) was the President of Madagascar from 1975 until 1993 and from 1997 until 2002. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Thomas Sankara Thomas Isidore NoÃ«l Sankara (born December 21, 1949 in Yako â€“ died October 15, 1987 in Ouagadougou) was the leader of Burkina Faso (formerly known as Upper Volta) from 1983 to 1987. ... LÃ©opold SÃ©dar Senghor (October 9, 1906 â€“ December 20, 2001) was a Senegalese poet and politician who served as the first president of Senegal (1960â€“1980). ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... António Agostinho Neto (September 17, 1922–September 10, Angola (1975–1979), a poet and nationalist leader. ... Marien Ngouabi (or NGouabi; 1938 - March 18, 1977) was the military President of the Republic of the Congo from January 1, 1969 - March 18, 1977. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Mengistu Haile Mariam (IPA: //) (born 1937[3][4]) was the most prominent officer of the Derg, the military junta that governed Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, and the president of the Peoples Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. ... Mohamed Siad Barre (Somali: Maxamed Siyaad Barre) (1919 â€“ January 2, 1995) was the Head of State of Somalia from 1969 to 1991. ... Soviet redirects here. ...

Organisations based on African socialism

The most notable organisations identified with African socialism were black liberation movements in South Africa during the Apartheid regime. The largest of these were the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC). The ANC supported racial equality, but the PAC's position was 'Africa for the Africans!'. With the end of Apartheid, the ANC became the leading political party in South Africa, but moved away from its African socialist roots. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOVD Articles that have been linked to this page are the subject of an NPOV dispute (NPOV stands for Neutral Point Of View; see below). ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... For political parties with similar names in other countries, see Northern Rhodesian African National Congress and Zambian African National Congress. ... The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) (later the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania), was a South African liberation movement, that is now a minor political party. ...

See also

Categories: Articles lacking sources from January 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Articles that may contain original research since September 2007 | NPOV disputes | African politics | Socialism | African and Black nationalism Third-worldism is a tendency within (ostensibly) left wing political thought to regard the division between advanced capitalist nations and (so called) third world ones as of primary political importance. ... Pan-Africanism is a term which can have two separate, but related meanings. ... Arab Socialism (ar. ... The concept of Melanesian socialism was first advocated by Father Walter Lini of the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), who became the countrys first prime minister upon its independence from France and the United Kingdom in 1980. ... Look up ubuntu in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Harambee is Kenyan tradition of community self-help events, eg. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subjfuck grapesect to control by the community[1] for the purposes of increasing social and economic equality and cooperation. ... The history of socialism, sometimes termed modern socialism,[1] finds its origins in the French Revolution of 1789 and the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution, although it has precedents in earlier movements and ideas. ... This article gives an overview of socialism in the Netherlands, including communism and social democracy. ... The History of socialism in Great Britain is generally thought to stretch back to the 19th century. ... 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