Africa: A Modern History

The end of World War II signaled the end of the European African empires. In 1945, four African countries were independent; by 1963, 30 African states created the Organization of African Unity. The 1960s were a time of optimism as Africans enjoyed their new independence, witnessed increases in prosperity and prepared to tackle their political and economic problems in their own way. By the 1990s, however, these high hopes had been dashed. Dictatorship by strongmen, corruption, civil wars and geno