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Britain granted independence to Ghana (1957). Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana to independence and served as its first prime minister and president. Independent Ghana was primarily the British Gold Coast colony, enlarged by British Togoland, and the British protectorates of Northern Territories and Ashanti. Ghana was the first black sub-Saharan colony to achieve independence. Independence was celebrated with considerable optimism and fanfare. And there was good reason for that optimism. Ghana had a strong economy. The colony was Britain's richest black African colony. Independent Ghana has considerable mineral wealth. Britain left Ghana with a well established education system and a competent civil service. There was also basic infrastructure. Under Nkrumah the economy began to decline. He became an important advocate of Pan-Africanism. He was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity. He was highly critical of both Britain and America during the Cold War. The Soviets heaped praise upon him, awarding him the Lenin Peace Prize (1962). A military coup removed him from power (1966). In Nkrumah's defense, a lot of Europeans were attracted by the syreen call of socialism at the time--although not Communism. And even today the majority Democratic Party in America has become a socialist party despite the obvious economic evidence that socialism does not work. Nkrumah was in North Vietnam at the time, supporting the Communist conquest of South Vietnam. He never returned to Ghana, but continued to be a supporter of African unity. He was granted refuge in neighboring Guinea. There President Ahmed Sékou Touré shared his left-wing vision and like Nkrumah presided over the economic decline of his country. Nkrumah in exile wrote extensively about class struggle and revolutionary warfare and very little about economics that would develop Ghana and raise incomes. For Nkrumah, Touré and others like Castro, Communist revolutionary struggle automatically created a prosperous economy. The economic failure of the Soviet Union was not yet apparent. In Fact the Soviet Union looked like an enormous success. A series of coups in Ghana eventually resulted in the suspension of the 1957 independence constitution (1981). The heady optimism of independence was proven unfounded. This began the Nkrumah chaotic rule and mismanagement of the economy. Military governments banned political parties. A new constitution, finally restoring multi-party politics (1992). Lt. Jerry Rawlings, the head of state under the military government beginning in 1981, won the presidential elections (1992 and 1996). The constitutionally prohibited him from running for a third term (2000). John Kufuor defeated former Vice President Atta Mills in a free democratic election.
Britain granted independence to Ghana (1957). There was no independence war. Britain granted independence as part of a peceful decolonization movement. Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana to independence and served as its first prime minister and president. Independent Ghana was primarily the British Gold Coast colony, enlarged by British Togoland, and the British protectorates of Northern Territories and Ashanti. Ghana was the first black sub-Saharan colony to achieve independence. Independence was celebrated with considerable optimism and fanfare. And there was good reason for that optimism. Ghana had a strong economy. The colony was Britain's richest black African colony. Independent Ghana has considerable mineral wealth. Britain left Ghana with a well established education system and a competent civil service. There was also basic infrastructure. And the man leading the independence movement, was an American educated, well prepared leader. Ghana had everything going for it and prospects for a bright future. Ghana became the template for what was to follow in Africa. And tragically many of the countries that were to follow Ghana into independence did not have all that Ghana had going for it.
In contrast to the bright hopes of independence, what had been a vibrant colonial economy was run into the ground under Kwame Nkrumah. The problem is that Nkrumah was a Marxist. He studied in American universities, spent a decade in America and earned four degrees. Nkrumah spent his summers in New York City's Harlem, a center of American Black life, thought and culture. And rather than learning how capitalism had created the strongest, most affluent country in human history, he learned about Marxism and Black Nationalist thought. He also spent a few years in Britain. As a result, upon assuming power, he rejected capitalism and replaced it with Marxist socialism. Nkrumah inherited the strongest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa. It was the largest exporter of cocoa for which there was a vibrant world demand. Nkrumah like all Marxists before him, believed that the Government should take control of the economy. As a result of Nkrumah's socialist policies, the economy began to decline soon after Nkrumah assumed the leadership. And he doubled down as the economy faltered. He launched 47 state owned enterprises (1962-66). All but three were failed to be profitable and had to be supported with tax revenue or closed. The size of Government exploded. The number of ministries tripled. Two-thirds of the country's salaried workers were government employees. This was a huge burden on an economy that was shrinking because of Nkrumah's socialist policies. The Kwame Nkrumah Steel Works closed after only 3 months.
Nkrumah also became an important advocate of Pan-Africanism. He was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity. He was highly critical of Both Britain and America during the Cold War. Alex Quaison Sackey, Nkrumah's Minister of Foreign Affairs, was a strong support of Nkrumah's Pan-African Marxism. Instead of focusing on pragmatic economic policies to grow the economy, Nkrumah focused on using his position to become a strident voice against the West on the international scene. Nkrumah realized of the enormous status throughout Africa that his position as the head of the first black African nation to achieve independence. And he dreamed of leading Africa into a new shining Marxist future. Dispensing with both capitalism and democracy, Nkrumah made himself president for life. Only one political party was allowed, the Convention People's Party (CPP). The Soviets of course heaped praise upon him, awarding him the Lenin Peace Prize (1962). A military coup removed him from power (1966). Nkrumah's authoritarian rule and the collapse of the economy destroyed his once commanding popularity. Nkrumah's defense, a lot of Europeans were attracted by the syreen call of socialism at the time--although not Communism. And even today the majority Democratic Party in America has become a socialist party despite the obvious economic evidence that socialism does not work. Nkrumah was in North Vietnam at the time, supporting the Communist conquest of South Vietnam. He never returned to Ghana, but continued to be voice for African unity. He was granted refuge in neighboring Guinea. There President Ahmed Sékou Touré shared his left-wing vision and like Nkrumah presided over the economic decline of his country. Nkrumah in exile wrote extensively about class struggle and revolutionary warfare and very little about economics that would develop Ghana and raise incomes. For Nkrumah, Touré and others like Castro, Communist revolutionary struggle automatically created a prosperous economy. The economic failure of the Soviet Union was not yet apparent. In Fact the Soviet Union looked like an enormous success. By 1966, Ghana's foreign reserves were depleted and it's ballooning national debt had spiraled out of control. But economic failure is only part of the Marxist system Nkrumah introduced. Nkrumah inherited a functioning democracy. Within a year he introduced the Preventative Detention Act (1958). Marxist Socialism can not coexist with democracy.
The new power allowed people, meaning Nkrumah's critics, to be arrested and imprisoned without trials. Ghana became a one-party police state. Elections were rigged and then Nkrumah had himself declared president for life, doing away with pesky elections. Tragically this became the template Ghana created for Africa. The economic disaster that Nkrumah created eventually led to a military coup that forced him into exile.
Kwame Nkrumah having led Ghana's independence movement became the country's first president (1957). Ghana was the first black African nation to win independence. Thus Nkrumah believed that he had an important role to play in the struggle against 'capitalist interests' on the continent. He insisted that , 'the independence of Ghana would be meaningless unless it was tied to the total liberation of Africa.' He not only opposed European imperialism, but capitalism as well. Like many African leaders, he assumed that independence and the adoption of socialist policies would usher in an era of prosperity. He adopted many socialist policies which led a British colony with a healthy economy into a prolonged decline. Failing economically at home, he aspired to be a Pan-African leader highly critical of the West. He was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (1961). He was a founding member, but despite the name generally took anti-capitalist, pro-Soviet positions. Nkrumah also adhered to the Casablanca group (Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Egypt, and Morocco). They called themselves neutralists, but in most cases were leaning toward the Soviet Union. One 1962 press report indicated that Eastern-bloc technicians and advisers, including military ones, swarm about in Guinea and are becoming more numerous in Ghana and Mali." [Schwartz] Nhrumah's initial strategy was to encourage revolutionary political movements in Africa. The CIA reports that Nkrumah's government provided money and training for radical Communist-oriented guerrillas at safe camps in Ghana. Ghana received aid from Communist China for this effort after the 1964 Sino-Soviet split. Several hundred revolutionaries went through this training program in Ghana. It was administered by Nkrumah's Bureau of African Affairs. They participated with insurgencies in Angola, Congo, Mozambique, Niger, and Rhodesia. [CIA]
A series of coups in Ghana eventually resulted in the suspension of the 1957 independence constitution (1981). The first of these coups was the ouster of Nkrumah (1966). The heady optimism of independence was proven unfounded. This began the Nkrumah chaotic rule and mismanagement of the economy. Military governments banned political parties. The economy continued to decline. None of the military rulers exhibited any interest in playing a prominent role on the international stage like Nkrumah. The military pointed to Nkrumah's undemocratic practices. The coup leaders claimed had affected the morale of the armed forces. General Kotoka described the coup as a nationalist reaction, liberating the nation from the Nkrumah dictatorship. Important changes that were brought about by the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah. The problems that Nkrumah failed to address remained along with a failed economy. One problem which many new African countries faced was Ghana's ethnic and regional divisions. Somehow this was something that Nkrumah managed to suppress through a combination of coercive power and his personal charisma. As his popularity declined and eventually his removal, these divisions rose to the surface. Thus the leaders which followed Nkrumah faced the underlying problem of forging the many varied personal, ethnic, and sectional interests into a nation with a degree of shared identity and interests. The economic decline was another serious problem. Both extravagance and failed policies mean that the various governments did not have needed resources. Living standards had declined since independence. And the understandable demands of of the population for at least a minimal standard of living was a destabilizing force. Politicians focused on preventing the reappearance of another authoritarian government. Others reached the opposites conclusion, that democracy and political pluralism could not generate economic recovery. In this milieu, many Ghanaians began to see military rule as an acceptable option. The Busia administration would be Ghana's first elected government after Nkrumah was removed. His experience would be repeated by other Ghanaian leaders trying to reestablish democracy.
Lt. Jerry Rawlings proved to be the most capable leader to follow Nkrumah. He gained international support for his economic policies, and in the 1990s demonstrated that he was not just a coup organizer, but could generate popular approval. Ghana held elections in 1992 in an effort to form its fourth republic. A new constitution, finally restored multi-party politics (1992). Rawlings, the head of state under the military government beginning in 1981, won the presidential elections (1992 and 1996). The constitution prohibited him from running for a third term (2000). John Kufuor defeated former Vice President Atta Mills in a free democratic election.
Schwarz, Walter. "The Cold War & the African states," Commentary (June 1, 1962).
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