Europeans in East Africa

Abstract

European political control of Africa was of very brief duration in terms of the entire history of the continent, though it could easily span a person’s whole lifetime: and its impact was in any case very considerable. In 1880 about ninety per cent of African territory was under indigenous government; by 1914, only Liberia and Ethiopia had not been colonised by European powers. But in 1957 the Gold Coast became independent as Ghana; Tanganyika became independent in 1961; and in 1994 the end of apartheid in South Africa brought to a close all White minority rule throughout the whole continent. Table 4.1 shows the date of formal annexation, and the date of lawful independence, for all the East African territories.