Question

Which statements describe the relationship between newly independent nations in sub-Saharan Africa and their former colonizers?
Correct Answer(s)
Incorrect Answer(s)

1. Newly independent sub-Saharan African nations inherited European-style legal structures from former imperial administrations.
2. Post-independence, nations in Africa broke all ties to their former colonizers.
3. European companies continued to have leverage over African mining, timber, and agriculture industries.
4. With independence, the peoples of all former African colonies benefitted from increased political and civil rights.
5. Post-colonial African nations benefitted from modern infrastructures and the highly educated workforce left by departing colonizers.

Answer 1

Correct: 1 and 3

- 1. True — Many newly independent states inherited European-style legal systems, bureaucracies, languages of administration, and other institutional frameworks established by colonial administrations.
- 3. True — European (and other foreign) firms continued to control and influence mining, timber, plantation agriculture, and export sectors, a pattern often described as economic neocolonialism.

Incorrect: 2, 4, and 5

- 2. False — Most new states kept political, economic, cultural, and diplomatic ties with former colonizers rather than breaking them completely.
- 4. False — Independence did not automatically bring increased political and civil rights for all; many countries experienced authoritarian rule, repression, or continued inequality.
- 5. False/misleading — While colonies inherited some infrastructure, it was often extractive in design and unevenly distributed, and colonizers left relatively few highly educated local professionals; many postcolonial states faced shortages of skilled personnel.