Question
Evaluate the leadership of Nyerere in the attainment of independence in Tanganyika and of Kenyatta in the attainment of independence in Kenya.
Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates are required to appraise the role played by both Nyerere and Kenyatta in their respective country’s attainment of independence.
Indicative content
Nyerere:
- Julius Nyerere emerged onto the Tanzanian political scene in 1954 when he was elected as president of the Tanganyika Africa National Union (TANU), a group that had risen to prominence among the discontented peasantry of the region.
- Nyerere presented to the United Nations the case for Tanganyika’s independence.
- In the 1959 elections, TANU won the majority vote in the legislative council.
- Nyerere advocated a non-racial and moderate approach to independence that cleared the way for the quickly-achieved independence of Tanganyika.
- Under Nyerere, Tanganyika became the first independent country in East Africa.
Kenyatta:
- Jomo Kenyatta emerged onto the Kenyan political scene in 1946 and, in 1947, he became the president of the Kenya Africa Union (KAU), through which he began to mobilize the nationalist struggle.
- During the Mau Mau rising, Kenyatta and 200 other political leaders were charged and imprisoned; this led to a reduction in political activities between 1953 and 1955.
- Many Kenyans who had realised the need for political unity if independence was to be attained, called for the release of Kenyatta which took place in 1961.
- Kenyatta was able to bring different political groups together and eventually contributed to the formation of two major political parties, Kenya African National Union (KANU) and Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU).
- Kenyatta was present at the Lancaster House conference which played a major role in Kenya’s attainment of independence.
- In May 1963, Kenya attained her independence with Kenyatta as the first president.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
Question
Examine the factors that contributed to the collapse of the Central Africa Federation.
Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates are expected to consider the factors that contributed to the collapse of the Central African Federation.
Indicative content
- The Federation was not fully supported, especially by Africans whose interests were never considered to be greater than those of the Europeans. The inequality in the Federation made Africans suspicious about its aims.
- From the very beginning, Africans were not in favour of the formation of the Federation: their preference was for self-government.
- The work of the Federation was also inhibited by the existence of many nationalistic movements, for example the movement led by Simon ber Zukas of Zambia.
- The chiefs of both the Bemba and Ngoni of Zambia did not support the Federation.
- The constitution of the Federation was not accepted by all the parties concerned.
- With Zimbabwe emerging as the dominant country in the Federation, Zambia for example, was not supportive of this arrangement.
- Due to practices like taxation, many of the Africans felt that they did not benefit from the Federation. In general, the Federation failed to get the necessary support from the parties concerned and all of that contributed to its failure.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
Question
To what extent were external factors more important than internal factors in Guinea’s achievement of independence?
Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates are required to consider the merits or otherwise of the suggestion that external factors were more important than internal factors in the achievement of independence in Guinea.
Indicative content
External factors:
- The French colonial policy of assimilation allowed African nationalists, such as the Guinean leader Sekou Toure, to sit in the French national assembly, where they criticized French colonial rule.
- The French Loi-Cadre of 1956 granted autonomous powers to the different regions of French West Africa and, thus, propelled Guinea on the road to full independence.
- The African Democratic Rally (Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, RDA—the party led by Sekou Toure) was established as a nationalist movement for all of French West Africa, and it had strong links with West African trade unions and the French Communist Party.
- In 1958 Frances, President De Gaulle decided to allow the French overseas territories a referendum on a new constitution, the rejection of which paved the way for Guinea’s full independence.
Internal factors:
- A strong trade union movement existed in Guinea and it offered a route into politics for aspiring nationalists such as Sekou Toure.
- Sekou Toure, who was a separatist, emerged as a dominant force in Guinean politics, and there was widespread support for him, especially from students and the working classes.
- The Guinean people were determined to defy French threats of a withdrawal of political and economic support by voting “no” in the referendum on membership of a new, autonomous West African community.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
Question
Examine the factors that led to Angola’s achievement of independence in 1975.
Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates are expected to consider the various issues that contributed to – and perhaps hindered – Angola’s 1975 achievement of independence.
Indicative content
- In Angola, armed struggle took the form of a prolonged guerrilla campaign against a determined and implacable enemy; however Angola was victorious, winning full independence in 1975.
- The military coup in Portugal against the Caetano regime was another important factor that contributed to Angolan success.
- Armed struggle was genuinely popular in Angola, with ordinary people supportive of guerrilla resistance as a result of the discriminatory policies of the Portuguese.
- There could be references to the three groups that existed in Angola, each of whom worked towards independence. These were the MPLA (People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola), the FNLA (National Liberation Front of Angola) and UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola).
- External intervention was also significant in Angola, with the USSR, the US, China and South Africa all becoming involved in support of the three factions.
- Independence for Angola was achieved with less difficulty than other similar countries, possibly due to the nature of the opposition provided by the Portuguese army.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.