IMPACT OF WORLD WAR I ON AFRICAN PEOPLES

Posted: March 27th, 2020

IMPACT OF WORLD WAR I ON AFRICAN PEOPLES

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One of the pertinent implications of the First World War on the African population involved dire economic repercussions. First, the event in question mainly imposed an effect on the countries that possessed colonial power over most of the states within the respective continent. As an outcome of this, the War eventually led to the elimination of Germany hence imposing an effect on Africa’s involvement in local and international trade (Samson 2013, p. 45). After all, through Germany, numerous African locations had already exhibited participation in global trade. Nonetheless, the occurrence of the war led to the disruption of the trading process with Europe hence posing a negative implication on the economic welfare of African peoples.

Consequently, the First World War subjected most Africans to the effects of inflation. Because commodity prices increased considerably in most parts of Africa as an outcome of the event, the level of poverty increased exponentially. The primary reason for this adverse effect was that the rising prices of commodities posed an incremental impact on the cost of living, which was rather considerable in comparison to the incomes earned at the time among most Africans (Ferris 2015, p. 137). In addition to this, Africans that were participating in these struggles in the representation of warring foreign countries returned as radicalized and disaffected populaces further contributing to the continent’s descent into difficult economic situations.

Lastly, the First World War imposed a permanent change regarding leadership as far as colonization was concerned. Accordingly, Germany – that had secured sizeable territories in the continent, especially in Eastern and Western Africa – lost most of her colonies to the British Empire (Stapleton 2013, p. 177). In addition to this, France was forced to relinquish considerable amounts of its territory to invading forces, specifically Italy. These changes mainly posed a long-term impact on the African peoples.

Bibliography

Ferris, John R. The Cambridge History of the Second World War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Samson, Anne. World War I in Africa: The Forgotten Conflict among the European Powers. London: I.B. Tauris, 2013.

Stapleton, Timothy J. A Military History of Africa. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2013.