Abstract: | The author sees African nationalism in historical terms. It has qualities reminiscent of the older nationalisms of Europe, Arabia, and Asia. The policies and practices of the colonial powers created national entities of their arbitrarily contrived and assigned territories. The indigenous inhabitants not only came to accept their status as nationals, but they began to think almost exclusively in terms of achieving their freedom from alien rule within the perimeters of their colonial existence. Within almost every territory the nationalist spirit found ready vessels. Its success own much to the techniques and experiences of the older nationalisms; as hot wars loosened the grip of colonial control in Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, so the cold war assisted the progree and made possible the success of the nationalist movements of tropical Africa. Notes. |