African History

Throughout history, Africa has been looked down upon as a continent that has failed to become industrialized and failed to be affected by globalization. This is primarily caused by the European's disregard to help create a set government and economy once African countries gained independence. Ignoring a multi-party system that was already used, Africans used a one-party system that soon caused civil wars, poverty, economic stagnation, and countless other negatives. However, in the 1990s, things changed for the better when a wave of democratization took over the continent of Africa, and this would soon change the landscape and future of the troubled countries. To examine how this wave of democratization came about, one should look at the political and economic problems that caused it, the importance of the civil society and regional groups, and the extent to which these movements succeed (or disappointed) in some countries.

After the independence of most countries in Africa, citizens were confident in their government's ability to sustain a good economy. These feelings came from the fact that the African economies had a solid base foundation in the agriculture and mining industries; citizens hoped that these foundations could be expanded upon and lead the countries toward industrialization. Many farmers had hoped that they would be able to receive government subsidies in buying seeds and fertilizer, tools that would cause a dramatic increase in the number of crops grown but also do cost a lot at the same time. However, few countries built on this great foundation, and a vast majority of these countries actually went through a long period of economic decline. Although many blame the government because of their underinvestment and neglect of the land, there were many environmental factors such as being too reliant on erratic rains and the soil being worked to complete exhaustion. Economic growth was so slow during this time period that it was barely able to keep up with population growth.

There are many factors that play into the slow economic growth situation in Africa, such as geography, climate, and demography. The geography in Africa is unique because the coastlines are straight. This causes the coastlines to have very few bays and natural ports, making trading between the coast and the interior very difficult. The climate is another factor that plays into the slow economic growth in Africa. Many regions in Africa have inhospitable climates for both human health and agriculture, largely due to the fact that the equator runs right through the heart of the continent. Africa is also a country that has alarmingly high fertility and infant mortality rate. Originally, economists believed that this would cause a negative impact on economic growth, but these facts actually are symptoms of poverty and unemployment rather than causes.

Bad governance is another thing that has led to economic stagnation in many parts of