Discuss the reasons why one-party states were established in any two African countries.

Candidates are required to offer a considered and balanced review of the various factors that led to the establishment of one-party states in the early post-independence period. The nature of the responses will vary greatly depending on the two countries selected.

Indicative content

• Some multi-party democratic systems were not sufficiently stable to enable them to withstand the pressures of post-independence politics, particularly in those countries that were divided along ethnic lines. This often led to the military assuming power, arguing that the purpose of the coup was to restore strong governance and to save the country from the threat of civil war.
• Many post-independence democracies struggled with corruption and the problems associated with poverty and underdevelopment. This gave the army the excuse to step in and bring a temporary end to democracy. An example would be the army coup in Ghana in 1972.
• In many cases, non-governing parties failed to sustain meaningful opposition and simply fell by the wayside, allowing the governing party to gradually consolidate its grip on power. This was often the case in countries which had hitherto been dominated by a single national independence movement, such as with TANU in Tanzania or KANU in Kenya.
• Some African leaders, most notably Nkrumah, Nyerere and Kaunda, argued that multi-party democracy was a western political import that was unsuited to Africa because traditional African society is more communal and less competitive. Decisions to bring an end to the multi-party democracies of the early post-independence years were therefore based more on political philosophy than democratic failure.
• Similarly, one-party states were often established to satisfy the personal ambitions of dominant leaders and not necessarily as a result of democratic failure, for example Mobutu in the Congo, Amin in Uganda or Mugabe in Zimbabwe.

The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, the list 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.

[20 marks]