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African Independence in an International Context

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African Independence in an International Context

After 1945, Africa was embroiled in the so-called Cold War between the USSR (Union

of Soviet Socialist Republics) and the United States. The Cold War had a suffocating impact on

Africa. In various ways, the Soviet Union and the United States wanted Africa to keep each other

from having it, thus stifling African political and economic progress and postponing

independence. Because of the US-Soviet competition, both countries supported independence

movements to build states they might control.

During the mid-1960s, African independence movements gave opportunities to both the

Soviet Union and the United States with foreign policy options. The United States expressed

sympathy for developing Africa, expressing its anti-colonial past (Schmidt, 2007). The United

States vowed to acknowledge and encourage African nationalism during the presidential

campaign. In contrast, the Soviet Union viewed its past as echoed in Africa. In response to

imperialism, budding socialist revolutions were erupting across Africa. The USSR promised to

help national independence movements all across the globe.

The Cold War refrigerated such inclinations. The reality of containment overtook the

aspirations of the Soviet Union and the American policy towards Africa. Anti-Americanism had

become more significant in Soviet foreign ideals than anti-capitalism. The Soviet Union

grudgingly accepted weak doctrines and endured fluctuating coalitions among African

customers. Anti-communism prohibited the United States from supporting several independence

movements (Schmidt, 2007). Authorities in the United States could not fully accept socialist-

leaning African governments without antagonizing NATO allies that were equally colonial

countries.
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Except for the Guineans, that have offered both sides valuable lessons, neither side has

emerged as a clear victor. In 1958, France unexpectedly ceased aid to Guinea following

President Sekou Toure declined France's proposal of independence from the French Community

(Schmidt, 2007). The Guinean President moved his gaze eastward. From Moscow, Guinea

looked like an excellent chance to establish a Communist foothold in West Africa. The Soviet

Union was an outspoken opponent of colonialism. Mr. Toure was a self-proclaimed Marxist.

Guinea, it felt, could only transform into a supportive satellite with tremendous funding and a

little brainwashing.
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Reference

Schmidt, E. (2007). Cold War and decolonization in Guinea, 1946-1958. Ohio University

Press, Athens.