Influence of External forces and the rise of Nationalism

Between March 1957, when Ghana declaredindependence from Great Britain, and July 1962, when Algeria wrested independence from France after a bloody war, 24 African nations freed themselves from their former colonial masters. In most former English and French colonies,independence came relatively peacefully

Between 1945 and 1960, three dozen new states in Asia andAfrica achieved autonomy or outright independence from their European colonial rulers. There was no one process of decolonization. In some areas, it was peaceful, and orderly. In many others, independence was achieved only after a protracted revolution.




Some African countries had to fight for independencebecause Europeans had settled in certain lands and didn't want them to gain independence because they wanted to use their natural resources. This occurred in Kenya and Algeria where Europeans had settled and the Africans had to fight for independence.