With the rise of colonialism in the latter half of the 19th century, Africa became a melting pot of European colonies. Most of the European powers began to colonize Africa. After World War I, Germany was forced to give up all of her colonies as a result of the treaty of Versailles. The embarrassment that Germany suffered was one of the main causes for the rise of Hitler in Germany. Hitler wanted to re-establish the German war machine and empire. Africa was seen as a possibility for re-colonization under the new dictator. Meanwhile in Italy, Mussolini was in power and allied himself with Hitler. Not wanting to be out done and have no bargaining chips in the possibly re-alignment of the world, he saw Africa as a logical place to colonize. In the early 1930’s, Mussolini began to try diplomatically and economically to force his way into Ethiopia. However, all attempts at those measures failed. In

In Southern Africa, European settlers wanted to cut the ties with Britain and Portugal, but retain white minority rule, excluding the African population. The fighting resulting from this was violent and destructive to the infrastructure of the countries involved and their independent neighbors. Burdened by apartheid for decades, South Africans were the last people on the continent to attain majority rule. Meanwhile, the Cold War conflict between America and the Soviet Union distorted politics at a regional level particularly in the South.

Attaining economic independence proved harder than gaining political independence. In some areas drought and famine destroyed agricultural production; elsewhere war has brought economic activity to a halt. Political instability on the continent has been both the result and cause of economic difficulties. The cost of living has spiraled, hitting a fast growing urban population. Attempts to create a strong manufacturing base failed in the main; many African currencies went through substantial periods when they could not be converted into Western currencies. These negative trends have both caused the intervention of western economic institutions, like the IMF and World Bank, and been the result of that intervention. As a consequence there has been a steady migration of people from the continent to Europe and America looking for a better and more stable quality of life.

Some topics in this essay:
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