How Ghana Won Independence from the UK - Cold War DOCUMENTARY

How Ghana Won Independence from the UK - Cold War DOCUMENTARY

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While British foreign policy during the  19th Century can probably be best surmised   as “expansionistic”, epitomized in  the so-called Scramble for Africa,   the second half of the 20th Century very much  saw the British Empire dismantled. While the   white dominions had gained independence  during the first half of the 20th Century,   they remained connected to London through  shared cultural and economic ties. The rest   of the Empire however had a more difficult  struggle ahead of them to achieve the same   goals of nationhood, with those colonies in  Africa arguably facing the most resistance.  

I’m your host David and this week, we are going to  take a look at the Gold Coast, modern day Ghana,   the first non-white dominated sub-Saharan colony  to gain its independence. This is...The Cold War.  With so much going on in both my life and in  the world overall, it can be hard for me to   unwind and relax which is why I am so glad to be  using the sponsor of this video Endel - a uniquely   useful application that creates personalized  soundscapes to help you focus, relax, or sleep!   If you find yourself anxious or stressed  and struggling to be productive,   then Endel is the solution you have been looking  for! Its patented technology creating personalized   soundscapes for every user is informed by  science, created with science and backed   by science and can help you to relax by creating  feeling of comfort and safety. Studies show that   Endel provides the fastest, most consistent focus  vs playlists on streaming platforms. It is known   that your biological clock, your circadian rhythm,  should be in tune with nature’s organic rhythms   and cycles and Endel complements these to  improve how you feel – night and day. Endel   also features a soundscape complementing famous  lectures by the writer and speaker Alan Watts,   whose soothing and motivating soundscape  is infused with perspective-changing words!   Endel has a special offer for our viewers: the  first 100 people to download Endel using the link   in the description will get a free week of audio  experiences! This will also support our channel! By the end in 1945, Britain was in a dire  economic situation. The six years of war had   expended blood and treasure on a vast scale, with  much of that treasure having been borrowed from   the United States. The maintenance of its global  Empire was not only becoming an economic burden  

but did not align well at all with the post-war  spirit of organizations like the United Nations   and things like the Universal Declaration of Human  Rights. Now, Britain was prepared to accept the   immediate independence of some of its colonies,  including India, and also accepted in principle   that its other colonies would also be given  independence, but on a different time scale.   Britain was hoping that it would be able to  retain its African colonies especially for   another 20 to 30 years, a time frame London deemed  necessary for those African nations to become   “ready'' to rule themselves. Almost certainly a  taste of paternalism and likely a healthy dose   of racism heaped on top of this attitude from the  Colonial Office. But, the United States, a country   always willing to talk a good game regarding  national independence, stood in opposition to this   time frame and used its now considerable financial  leverage to ‘encourage’ London to shorten   the time frames involved in decolonization. So, based on that, let's now move our attention  

to The Gold Coast. European explorers and traders  had maintained a presence along the Gulf of Guinea   since the 1400’s, looking to take advantage of the  lucrative trade in gold and slaves. The British   presence in the region formally began in the  mid-1700s with the Royal Trading Company setting   up shop which was then replaced by the African  Company of Merchants, but it wasn’t until 1821   when the commercial charters were withdrawn by the  English Crown and a formal colony established on   the Gold Coast. Exploiting pre-existing conflicts  that existed between the Fante along the coast   and the Ashanti people who lived inland, the  British set the different communities against   each other to take over more and more territory  inland. The entire region was not formally under   the control of the British crown until 1902  when the last Ashanti resistance was defeated.   Over the course of the 19th Century into the 20th,  the British Empire developed key infrastructure in   the colony, all with the aim of accessing  and exploiting the vast natural resources   of the colony. This included gold, metal ores,  diamonds, ivory, pepper, timber, grain and cocoa.  

These resources, seemingly plentiful and  easy to extract, not only helped to make   the Empire wealthy but made the Gold Coast  a comparatively wealthy colony as well.  Along with greater wealth, emerged a new Ghanaian  elite, especially by the early part of the 20th   Century. Educational facilities within the  colony began to improve and technical schools   were established, a teachers’ training  college was opened in Accra and numerous   secondary schools opened across the colony, all  bolstering the education levels of the people.   This event included the establishment of  the University College, the colony's first   Higher Education facility, in 1948. And they  were popular. In 1940, 91,000 children were  

enrolled in Gold Coast schools, but only a decade  later in 1950 that number had climbed to 279,000   students enrolled in some 3,000 schools across  the Gold Coast. As a percentage of population,   that was 43.6% of school age children at the  time. The British authorities also invested in   the education system in the colony, using it to  create local cadres of loyal subjects to serve   in the colonial administration so that they  could reduce administrative costs from London.  

However, it was these very same cadres, trained  to serve the Empire and the reigning monarch,   that were to bring about revolutionary changes to  the colony and set the path towards independence.  Although various independence movements had  existed in the Gold Coast since at least the late   19th Century, it was in the immediate post-Second  World War era that they found a new momentum.   Colonial troops from Gold Coast had served in the  Great War, largely fighting German colonial troops   in German East Africa, but it was their service  during the Second World War, in places like   Ethiopia and Burma where they earned exceptional  praise. However, despite their performance   and loyalty to the Crown, returning veterans  found the post-war period to be fraught with   financial and political problems, both of which  contributed to an inability to find employment.   As you might expect, this contributed to a feeling  of abandonment by the Empire and thus spurred   many into the political struggle of the colony. A  pro-independence coalition of educated Ghanaians,   ex-servicemen, urban workers and merchants  was emerging to challenge British authority. 

So what did that authority look like? Well, since  1925 the Gold Coast had been administered under   the aptly named Constitution of 1925 which also  went by the name of the Guggisberg Constitution.   Leading the colony was the Governor,  the representative of the British Crown   and the most powerful person as a result.   The Constitution made provision for a Legislative  Council, made up of 30 people. Leading it was the  

Governor. Of the remaining 29 people, only 9  of those positions were reserved for Africans;   6 spots for the Paramount Chiefs representing the  Western, Central and Eastern provinces and then   three elected representatives to represent  Accra, Cape Coast, and Sekondi-Takoradi.   The rest of the spots in the Legislative  Council were reserved for Europeans from the   Chamber of Commerce, the mining industries  and various nominations by the Governor.   Separate from the Legislative Council was the  Executive Council, the ruling body actually   governing the colony. It was made up of 5 members,  all Europeans. This was amended in 1942 when Nana  

Ofori Atta and Sir Arku Korsah were added to the  Council. 1943 saw a third African, Nana Tsibu   Darko also added to the Executive. So, what was  important about the Guggisberg Constitution?   Well, it added elected representation for  the first time in the colony's history,   even if it was only limited to specific areas. It  also included tribal representation which was new.   But, and there is always a but, the Governor  not only retained a veto over any bills passing   through the Legislative Assembly, he also had  the ability to certify any law, even in the face   of majority rejection in the Assembly. Another  significant issue was that the Ashanti had no  

representation nor did the Northern Territory  or Trans-Volta Togoland. While a step forward,   this constitution was clearly lacking in  full representation as the African members   were outnumbered by Europeans at every turn.  And agitation for further reforms continued.  African independence movements, including  in Gold Coast, were given a huge boost by   the 1938 African Survey, a work put together by  Sir Malcom Hailey as well as reports which Lord   Hailey was tasked with in the 1940s. He advocated  moving colonial administration towards that of   a partnership. And before you think  this was done from a sense of altruism   and desire to see the colonies become independent,  Hailey saw this as the best way for the British   to retain their influence in the colonies in  the face of growing independence movements.  

The war accelerated the process of involving  Africans in the running of the country   as they took on administrative jobs in  all sectors of the government and economy   as Britons vacated them to go fight the war. So 1946 saw another new Constitution introduced,   the Burns Constitution. This Constitution  increased the scope of elected representation   and the Legislative Assembly was reformed to make  it majority African. Some lands in the north of  

the colony also received representation of their  own in the Assembly. On the downside, the Northern   Territory and Togoland continued to be controlled  by the Governor directly and the Governor   retained his Veto and Certification powers. The  educated Ghanaian elites were also unhappy with   the Burns Constitution as they were left out. The  Africans chosen to be included in the new Assembly  

were the tribal chiefs, who often acted in their  own interests and not in the interests of a colony   aspiring to independence. Falling short of the  expectations of Ghanaians, who wanted self-rule,   the Burns Constitution convinced many in the  colony that reform and independence were needed.  And then, 1948 happened. January started  with a boycott of all European goods as   a protest to inflated prices. The boycott was  planned to last until February 28, which also   happened to be the day a group of war veterans  conducted what was supposed to be a peaceful   march to the Governor's House in Accra. They were  bringing a petition asking for their war pensions   which had not been paid out as promised. The  marchers were however blocked by colonial police,  

who demanded they disperse or the police would  use force, an order which was ignored. The police,   under orders from the British Superintendent,  opened fire killing three veterans and wounding   at least 60 others. Accra erupted into  riots in protest of the police killings,   which spread to other cities and communities  across Gold Coast, lasting for five days.  The United Gold Coast Convention, the  strongest Ghanaian political party at the time   sent a telegram directly to the British Government  in London stating that “unless Colonial Government   is changed and a new Government of the people and  their Chiefs installed at the centre immediately,   the conduct of masses now completely out of  control with strikes threatened in Police   quarters, and rank and file Police  indifferent to orders of Officers,   will continue and result in worse violent and  irresponsible acts by uncontrolled people."  

The UGCC also stated their readiness to establish  an interim government to lead to elections.  OK, so who was the UGCC? Well, it was a party  established in 1947, largely composed of educated   Ghanaians with the express goal of attaining  independence “in the shortest possible time”. They   called for greater representation of Ghanaians  in the colonial administration and wanted that   administration to actually take into account  Ghanaian suggestions of governing the colony.  

The most prominent members of the UGCC were George  Alfred Grant, J.B. Danquah and Kwame Nkrumah.   So they advocated a road to independence that  would grant Ghanaians administrative experience   in running a country. But, the Accra riots  in 1948 hurt the credibility and legitimacy   of the UGCC; many people felt that the colonial  administration could no longer be trusted,   and that included those who would work with them. What came from this, was a new political party,   the Convention People’s Party or CPP,  led by Kwame Nkrumah. Nkrumah, who had  

been educated in both the United States and in  Germany, had risen to prominence in the UGCC   as an organizer for the Committee on Youth  Organization. It was this group, led by Nkrumah,   that led the break away from the UGCC in protest  of their moderate tactics. This move was likely   made easier by the fact that the UGCC had tried  to freeze out Nkrumah from their leadership!  Granted, the politics of the CPP  were very similar to the UGCC   but the main difference was that they demanded  “self-government now”. Nkrumah was a fiery orator   and his demands for immediate  independence endeared him to workers,   farmers, youth, and war veterans among others  and the CPP quickly gained strength as a result.  OK, now that we are a bit more familiar with the  political actors in Gold Coast, let's go back to   the wake of the Accra riots. Wanting to find a  solution to the calls for independence without  

actually granting independence, the British  administration created the Coussey Committee,   headed by the Ghanaian jurist James Henley  Coussey. That an African was selected to head   this Committee is actually quite remarkable  and certainly a sign that the British wanted   a solution that would have credibility with the  Ghanaian population. The committee was tasked with   suggesting reforms that would be incorporated into  a new Constitution, adopted on January 1, 1951.  The new Constitution greatly expanded the  Legislative Assembly to 84 members, 38 of whom   would be elected by the people. 37 would represent  territorial councils, 6 would represent mining and   commercial interests in the colony and 3 would  be ex officio members appointed by the Governor.  

The Executive Council was also reformed, with the  majority of members still being selected by the   Governor but now from the Legislative Assembly and  also requiring approval from the Assembly. This   was a huge step forward, and towards independence,  as it gave real representation in government and   real experience in governance to Ghanaians.  But! But it still fell short of the CPPs call   for full independence. While the Coussey Committee  was meeting, the CPP had been busy campaigning   across the Gold Coast and gaining more and more  support. Nkrumah was promoting non-violent action,  

similar in fashion to Gandhi, and in an  attempt to thwart Nkrumah, the authorities   charged him with sedition and he was in jail  when he received word of the new Constitution.  And, like so many jailed advocates for national  independence, imprisonment only increased   Nkrumah’s popularity. The elections held in 1951  to select members for the new Legislative Assembly   were a resounding victory for the CPP, winning 34  out of 38 seats and more than 91% of the vote. The  

UGCC, once so powerful, only won two seats and  disbanded soon after. It was clear that the will   of the people of Gold Coast lay with independence.  Nkrumah was released from prison by order of the   Governor and was asked to form a government,  at first under the title “Leader of Government   Business” but in 1952 as Prime Minister thanks to  a Constitutional Amendment. With Nkrumah at the  

head and with a firm mandate from the people,  independence was now only a matter of time.  1954 saw another new Constitution introduced which  not only increased the number of elected seats to   104 but also saw the removal of those seats  elected by the tribal councils. Step by step,   the traditional influences that had diminished  the will of the people were being removed. The   elections of 1954 saw the CPP win 71 of the  104 seats. The main opposition faced by the CPP  

was from new parties that had sprung up, largely  representing the protection of regional interests   and not a broad representation of all Ghanaians.  Nkrumah continued his push towards independence,   working to Africanize the public service and  create the framework for an independent defence   and foreign policy, both of which were still  directly controlled by the Governor and London.  Fresh elections in 1956 saw the CPP win 72 of 104  seats and was well represented across the colony,   including Togoland which had voted in an earlier  plebiscite to join Gold Coast earlier in the year.   In August of 1956, the parliament of Gold Coast  adopted a motion calling on the British government   to accept Gold Coast under the name Ghana as  an independent country within the Commonwealth.  

The British government, in the face of the  overwhelming support of the population of   Gold Coast, agreed to grant Dominion status,  independence, to Ghana on March 6, 1957.   Independence celebrations in Ghana were  attended by a number of world dignitaries.   Representing the British Crown was the  Duchess of Kent while Vice-President   Richard Nixon represented the United States.  Also, in attendance at the ceremonies on March   6 was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In his address at the ceremonies,   Nkrumah placed emphasis on Ghana’s  position within the Commonwealth as   well as its good relations with Britain, saying: “We part the former imperial Power, Great Britain,   with the warmest feelings of friendship and  goodwill. This is because successive Governments  

in the United Kingdom recognized the realities  of the situation in the Gold Coast and adopted   their policy accordingly. Thus, instead of that  feeling of bitterness which is often born of a   colonial struggle, we enter on our independence  in association with Great Britain and with good   relations unimpaired. We are proud that we are the  first British colonial territory in Africa to gain   its freedom and to enter into the Commonwealth. We  value the Commonwealth link because it brings us   closer to other members who practice the same  type of democracy and have the same system of   laws which we have established here. Particularly  we value it because it brings us into association   with the newer Commonwealth countries of  Asia whose problems are so akin to our own.”  And with that, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan  African country to gain its independence. It did  

so largely by means of bloodless and nonviolent  struggle, working through the legislative process   to achieve its goal. This feels atypical from many  other colonial independence struggles in Africa   and around the world but Ghana had a particular  set of advantages which many other future nations   did not It had a significant number of highly  educated people, a relatively prosperous and   stable economic situation, and had a government  in London to work with that was largely in   favour of a smooth decolonization process. Ghana would go on to play an interesting   role during the Cold War, establishing  diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union a   year after independence and the maintenance  of good relations between Accra and Moscow   was a feature of Nkrumah’s time as leader. Despite  good relations however, Ghana was more interested   in procuring Soviet arms rather than Soviet  ideology. Through the 10 years after independence,   both the Soviets and the West courted Nkrumah,  the former wanting a base of operations in West   Africa, the latter wanting to keep the Soviets  from gaining a base of operations in West Africa   while still maintaining lucrative  commercial ties to Ghana.  We hope that you have enjoyed today’s  episode and to make sure you don’t miss   all of our future episodes please make sure you  subscribe to our channel and have passed numerous   constitutional reforms, slowly growing the power  of the Bell Button until it is in a position that   it can press itself.. We can be reached via email  at thecoldwarchannel@gmail.com and we are active  

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2022-03-08 19:01

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