African states found the Organization of African Unity

Tanganyika became independent, with Julius Nyerere as prime minister. The transition followed mass mobilization through the Tanganyika African National Union and a comparatively negotiated end to...

The Evian declarations between France and the National Liberation Front provided for a ceasefire and a process toward Algerian self-determination. The agreement followed nearly eight years of war,...

Belgium’s UN trust territories of Rwanda and Burundi became independent as separate states. Their political transitions inherited colonial administrations that had hardened social categories and...

After voters endorsed independence on 1 July, France formally recognized Algerian independence on 3 July; celebrations were held on 5 July. The date marked the end of 132 years of French rule, but the...

Uganda became an independent state after negotiations among British authorities, the Buganda kingdom, and national political parties. The new state combined a central government with kingdoms and...

The Federation of Malaysia joined Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, and Sarawak. Brunei did not join, and Indonesia opposed the federation through Konfrontasi; some communities in Sabah and Sarawak...

Kenya became independent after years of anticolonial organizing and the brutal Emergency, during which Britain detained hundreds of thousands and used forced resettlement, torture, and executions. The...

An uprising led by the Afro-Shirazi Party and allied forces overthrew the Zanzibar sultanate and its government. The revolution followed a narrow electoral victory by parties associated with Arab...

Tanganyika and Zanzibar formed the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, renamed Tanzania later that year. The union followed Zanzibar’s revolution and reflected Cold War security concerns as...

Northern Rhodesia became the independent Republic of Zambia after decades of African labor organizing and opposition to the Central African Federation, which had privileged white settler political...