How Ghana Won Independence from the UK - Cold War DOCUMENTARY

The first 100 people to download Endel at app.adjust.com/b8wxub6?campai... will get a free week of audio experiences!
Our historical documentary series on the history of the Cold War continues with a video on how Ghana (Gold Coast) won its independence from the UK.
How Khrushchev Fed the Soviet People: • How Khrushchev Fed the...
Novocherkassk Massacre 1962: • Novocherkassk Massacre...
Soviet Tourism: • Soviet Tourism: How di...
Soviet Passport System: New Serfdom or Reform?: • Soviet Passport System...
Support us on Patreon: / thecoldwar
KZbin membership / @thecoldwartv
✔ Merch store ► teespring.com/stores/thecoldwar
✔ Patreon ► / thecoldwar
✔ Facebook ► / thecoldwartv
✔ Instagram ► / thecoldwartv
#ColdWar #Ghana #Independence

[@TheColdWarTV]

The first 100 people to download Endel at app.adjust.com/b8wxub6?campaign=thecoldwar_march&adgroup=youtube will get a free week of audio experiences!

[@eustache_dauger]

Probably also worth examining how the British deny independence for its Borneo colonies of North Borneo & Sarawak, rather transferred their sovereignty (together with Singapore) to the newly independent federation of Malaya, a regional ally under the pretense of "communism threat in the region" thus forming Malaysia in 1963.

[@theawesomeman9821]

please cover South Africa

[@enoughrope1638]

I have to say that a a short while after gaining independence many of these former colonies proved that they indeed were not ready to govern themselves. This isn't racism but a fair assessment. I can give plenty of examples if you would like?

[@thenewjord50]

We need more episodes on Africa, Caribbean, Latin America, Asia and Soviet republics other than Russia

[@thenewjord50]

@@garrettgentry4417 they all been affected by the Cold War

[@saturationstation1446]

if we do that then people will learn how bad eurocentric culture is compared to asian cultures. and if you do that you will upset the inbreeders. and the inbreeders egos is more important than the basic necessities and well being of the entire human species.. didnt you know that?

[@thegodzillafan3000]

@@garrettgentry4417 I disagree with the sentiment but that was funny as hell.

[@ZZ-oc2eb]

Definitely

[@ZZ-oc2eb]

Especially the Portuguese colonies who used the down of Portugal king and dictatorship to boost their own independence

[@keiththomas1180]

Amazing coverage on a seldomly discussed topic

[@Evolthions]

Yeah

[@vasilerogojan4520]

One notable information about Ghana is the fact that one of the few countries in Africa that is considered a democracy, a flawed democracy to be exact, and the only one in the central part of that continent.

[@stefanodadamo6809]

They had the luck of finding a quite competent strongman, not an insane tyrant or a crook: Jerry Rawlings. Surely not an ideal of exquisite democracy, but so much better than most Big Men down there.

[@simbamartens7192]

@@stefanodadamo6809 You do realise that Ghana has had multiparty democracy (not just strongmen) since the 1990's, with multiple handovers of power between different parties?

[@simbamartens7192]

Ghana is not in central Africa, but in West Africa and I'm pretty sure it's not the only democracy in the region, see Liberia, Senegal, Nigeria etc.

[@stefanodadamo6809]

@@simbamartens7192 I know that. Even Rawlings himself got re-elected once!

[@brokenbridge6316]

An excellent video. Not many countries have ever won their independence like this. And it's a shame too. Because way too many wars of independence happened in the latter half of the twentieth century. My compliments to all those who made this video a reality.

[@ibnurismail5964]

Malaysian here.Ghana@Gold Coast episode make me really remember how Tunku Abdul Rahman@Malaysia architect brings.Malayan independence and with diplomacy we succesfully Malayan(Now Malaysians penisular) United with British Borneo in 1963

[@Mr.Nichan]

Was it really that rare, or do you just hear about the more violent ones more? There are an awful lot of countries that gained independence during the twentieth century.

[@m2v-animatez]

GOD BLESS OUR HOMELAND GHANA AND MAKE OUR NATION GREAT AND STRONG. 🇬🇭 🇬🇭 🇬🇭 🇬🇭 🇬🇭 🇬🇭 🇬🇭 🇬🇭 Happy Independence Day

[@ibnurismail5964]

Happy indepedenced day from Malaya which also get independence also in 1957

[@Artur_M.]

I am lately very preoccupied with dramatic and tragic events going one just east of my country but this topic is also very interesting and important to understand. One thing I find peculiar about Ghana is the choice of the very name of the country. The historical Ghana Empire was located north of the modern country, not overlapping with it, and essentially had nothing to do with it. As I understand, this choice was an expression of Pan-Africanism and attempt to not favoritise or offend any of the ethnic groups within the country. I believe Benin is a similar case.

[@NeinSquared]

The correlation between the empire of Ghana and the state of Ghana is that a significant amount of Ghanaians are believed to have migrated from the former location of the Ghana empire (the specific group being the Akan). The next reason was this idea that one day Ghana would be able to eventually live up to that name.

[@user-cx1ki8li4t]

As far as I know, only the Greeks forced other countries to change their names.😂😂😂

[@Artur_M.]

@@NeinSquared Thank you. The Akan connection is very interesting.

[@isaactomangrief9158]

One major connection is the Soninke, the ruling 'tribe' of the Ghanian Empire, who are now a major ethnic group in Ghana. As to Benin, the country was previously named Dahomey after the Dahomey Kingdom conquered by the French. The ruling tribe of the Dahomey had been the Fon and, after the French left, one of the powerful regional warlords was very much associated with the Fon. In attempt to make peace and centralise the country, they agreed on a new name that was ethnically neutral. Benin was the name of a powerful city-state in modern day Nigeria and Europeans had named the region 'the Bight of Benin' after it. Being as Dahomey was on the Bight of Benin, they decided to name it Benin.

[@kofisam4106]

@@NeinSquared the Akan connection to old Ghana is far from the truth.. the Soninke people of present day Mauritania and Senegal are the descendant of old Ghana.. the Soninke language is part of the greater mandinka languages. Bisa/busanga people are the only tribe in Ghana which are closely related to the Soninke people. There are other tribes in northern Ghana, who were duala tribes and are now assimilated to the Gur group of Ianguages. The dualas are also mandinka people, and related to the Soninke people. So there’s connection between old Ghana and modern Ghana but the connection is not through the Akans of Ghana and Ivory Coast but rather through some minority tribes in northern Ghana... By the way, I’m fanti, which is a subgroup of Akan.

[@thethirdjegs]

somehow, the creative way of saying "press the bell button" is becoming more looked forward to as we go further.

[@TheHypnogog]

Two thumbs up for the way Ghana and Great Britain handled that. Good history reporting, I learned a lot from it.

[@tomalexander4327]

This was excellent. Thank you.

[@vasilerogojan4520]

So, this was about the history of the independence of Ghana with the background, for the geography you could check out the channel "Geography now".

[@AlexVictorianus]

This shows: education is so important to build a democracy.

[@PP266]

Great stuff!

[@bernard8793]

I am from Ghana🇬🇭🇬🇭✌🏿💥

[@adriansz343]

Wonderful learning about your guy's independence, greetings from the USA!

[@bernard8793]

@@adriansz343 thanks man i love the USA!!!

[@aasemahsan]

4:13 Fante vs Ashanti (another example pf the British using divide & rule tactics) 10:25 The Burns Constitution (1946) 11:24 1948 Accra protests 12:20 UGCC (United Gold Coast Convention) 13:34 CPP (Convention People's Party) led by Kwame Nkrumah

[@abedmarachli7345]

English colonialism did not create these tribal problems, but rather benefited from them and often in other countries put them down, but in Africa in particular, tribal problems extend for hundreds of years under flimsy reasons.

[@joshuafrimpong244]

oh no, the ashanti have always felt differently to the fante, even before colonial times

[@nicholasfowler8982]

I am very grateful for this video kings and generals! learnt a lot video should have more than 1k likes

[@kwesikwansakennedy2196]

A Cold War video? On my own country? Popcorn wooooo!!

[@QuackAttack]

it is now March 6th (at least for me)... happy independence day Ghana!

[@MBP1918]

Interesting video

[@zebraz3839]

You should do more of these types of videos

[@incursus1401]

Great video and thanks for the free content. One question to help me understand the national developments of post colonial africa: Was there any appeal to the pre colonial kingdoms and empires of ghana (Dagbon, Ashanti Empire etc.) in their rhetoric similar to European nationalism or was it more or less a new clean slate for rhetoric?

[@CoffeeSuccubus]

You guys are a *godsend* for discussing the fate of colonial states. They are never covered and detailed! Easily one of my favorite channels.

[@blobloblaw12]

I like the idea of the subscribe button pressing itself haha. But for the time being, I shall press the subscribe button for this channel myself.

[@vasilerogojan4520]

One thing is clear is clear in Africa, despite of the decolonisation there are still overseas territories around the continent and the neo colonialism of the other powerful countries, not only the former colonists but also the Russians and the Chinese.

[@user-cx1ki8li4t]

The number of China troops even is fewer than Anatolia (Turkey) in Africa.🤔🤔🤔

[@ghostwriterj9421]

I come for the show, I stay for the bell button prompts

[@MrAltairgaming]

Slightly correction: Nkrumah got his university education in the US and UK, not Germany

[@daffaalfarisy7086]

Well finally, my favorite historical event is been brought by The Cold War Team. And obvs, its a nice video. But i find one mistake in 14:05 when you said Nkrumah was educated in US and Germany. Yes, he was educated in US during the great depression era which he saw as one of the most difficult time in his life (See Nkrumah's autobiography). But, it's not Germany which become his next stop for continued his study. Its UK precisely in LSE where he pursued his doctorate degree (You can see his memoir about his experience during his sojourn in London in his autobiography or in Yuri Smertin's book which call, "Kwame Nkrumah"). And maybe i want to add some information regarding this topic. First, bout Guggisberg role on political development is very true. But his contribution didn't stop there. He also led Gold Coast for economic and education development which gave a valuable benefited for Gold Coast. He also tied a friendship with one of the most Gold Coast nationalist leaders, Kwasime Aggrey which Nkrumah admire (even though he not fully agree about Aggrey view coz he view Aggrey to "moderate" on his struggle for independence). You can explor this information by reading some books like Gold Coast Survey or Contemporary Africa. Second, when Nkrumah was put behind the bars, there was a man who take a his mantle for campaigning his party during 1951 General Election. This young and briliant man is K.A. Gbedemah who become Nkrumah most trustworthy man in CPP. He also dubbed by many political expert as one of the most (or maybe the best (?) administrator in Africa (you can see this appraisal in John Günther's book, Inside Africa). Third and last but not least, the independence of Gold Coast which later renamed as Ghana (its a African name which also a name for an ancient empire in there) also marked an era for Ghana role in a struggle to help other Africa nations to breath an air of freedom. The first concrete action to achieve this goal is when Nkrumah and Ghana set up a Africa People's Congress on 1958 and followed by a creation of Union of Africa based on Nkrumah dream of a single Africa goverment (his dream wasnt been fulfilled coz a lack of cohesion or agreement between him and other Africa leaders). You can see Ghana role in Africa Independence movement by reading some of Nkrumah's book such as "Africa Must Unite!" or "I Speak of Freedom". You can also found these information in some journal on JStor. For example, there is a journal who talks about Ghana role in Cameroon Independence movement or in Algeria Independence Question. And also, you can visit my podcast, Podcast KAOS, to gain some information about history (but all of it i did in Indonesia language hehehe). Or maybe you can visit my medium (which share the same with my podcast) to read some of article which talks about various topics of history (and mostly it written in indonesian except one article).

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Obviously the time frame for independence got moved up significantly, but at the same time it clearly wasn't rushed in this instance! God bless, from USA!

[@robertwesley4780]

At 11.39 you are talking about a group of WWII veterans, but the photo is of Jerry Rawling from the 70s or 80s

[@jeremybrett5076]

I would like separate videos on the effects of "Bell Button" and "But" on the history of the Cold War. Please consider it.

[@kingdomofgarvin3432]

Real Talk

[@theoutlook55]

Cool

[@tokysobukanla]

You should do the same type of video for Nigeria...

[@lima153330]

Can you do a video about the first ghanian coup?

[@arrow1414]

These pictures at 11:31 look more like 1968 than 1948.

[@russellgardener126]

6:37 - what is this battle footage being shown?

[@berkleystreetcapital3588]

Can you also do an episode on Battle of Algiers. Nyerere and south African apartheid and Belgium human rights abuses in Congo.

[@johntheo5789]

First on my Favourite channel,Yayyy 😜

[@kevinobrien8545]

What!??? David, you dropped your "outro" of the JFK quote!? Why?

[@kicapanmanis1060]

Just because they’re theme parks doesn’t mean they don’t want self rule. Wait, wrong coast…..

[@user-cx1ki8li4t]

It is very interesting to study the name of the country. As far as I know, Greece once forced northern Macedonia to change its name. Benin's name comes from an ancient country what In Nigeria.Gabon's name comes from an ancient country. The name of Chinese Han / China in Mongolian comes from 契丹 (an ancient country ， most of its territory in China), 契丹 means China in Slavic and Central Asian languages, and 契丹 means Han in some minority languages in China. But I watched a historical video from Mongolia one day and I was very surprised to find that a Mongol claimed that 契丹 belongs to the history of Mongols, but today, Mongolia still call China ”契丹”.🥰🥰🥰

[@producedbyfieri]

would have been interesting to see a follow up detailing how the CIA conspired to get rid of Nkrumah

[@babayemiolumide336]

Talk about Nigeria's independent too

[@herzogsbuick]

I'm not sure who made the opening "soundscape", but for your sake I hope it wasn't Endel, unless you paid for science to make it annoying

[@julianshepherd2038]

If the British could hand over to a ruling elite and still do business then why do you need an empire ?

[@nihalbhandary162]

Congrats you have now described British India Company, that is exactly how it was under company rule in India. Company let the emperors maintain administration while the company only dealt business, company rule was more stable than under empire.

[@resentfuldragon]

@@nihalbhandary162 and would have probably been sustainable to an extent to this day. Had they not humiliated and attempted to brainwash people instead of just control things through proxies they could have stayed so rich. A good thing though, they deserved to lose their lands after all they did including the sykes-picot agreement.

[@cptrelentless80085]

@@resentfuldragon the problems in the Middle East are entirely in the lap of the French. Syria was a French colony, heavily repressed with an armed insurrection. Like all the other French colonies. The French created Lebanon, angering the Arabs, they prevented the pan-Arabic kingdom as they believed it would be pro-British, they supported the Jewish groups (headquartered in Marseilles) and encouraged them to destabilise Palestine by sticking them on boats and sailing them to Haifa to make the refugees Britain’s problem, instead of France’s

[@resentfuldragon]

@@cptrelentless80085 the french were the worst but second worst was easily britain. britain created israel, it partitioned somalia's lands among its neighbors leading to the concentration camps in kenya filled with somalis, it destroyed the mughal empire, it was the main force that took over the middle east in ww1, and much more. France is bad but they wouldn't have gotten the lands they did had britain not done what they did in the middle east first.

[@abchaplin]

At 4:10, David mentions "the English Crown." It had been a de facto "British Crown" since James I & VI took the throne and a de jure since the Act of Union, 1707.

[@andredeketeleastutecomplex]

Congrats but in 10 yrs tops IT WILL become the 'English' crown 💩

[@abchaplin]

@@andredeketeleastutecomplex, I am afraid you may well be right.

[@-JA-]

👏

[@bigsarge2085]

👍👍👍

[@sundalongpatpat]

Hope you could make a video related about the current events in Ukraine

[@theoutlook55]

It's not quite the Cold War though is it? There are echoes of it, sure, but I think this channel should keep to its focus. After all, there is no dearth of attention and historical perspectives analyzing and under analyzing the current crisis.

[@Jay-ho9io]

They just did

[@Monatio79]

Ghana is like the kid who came top of his class, a model student and a shining example to all. Unfortunately, his peers would go on to screw things up in the worst possible way.

[@imperialfootballleague7877]

How so

[@Monatio79]

@@imperialfootballleague7877 Because Ghana is a paradise compared to what the rest of Sub-Saharan has gone through/continues to go through.

[@meejinhuang]

Let's count how many colonies won independence from the UK.

[@rithinkrishna2817]

First comment

[@billballbuster7186]

Yes Ghana was the first African colony to gain independence and is one of the most successful. But the majority of black African countries reverted back to tribal rule and dependence on foreign aid.

[@lawrenceoyedele8782]

pls can you do an documentry on nkrumah on how he wanted to unite africa and how the cia destroyed him

[@vasilerogojan4520]

I wonder how some people in the comment section will consider the fact that the nowadays country of Ghana has nothing in common with the historical country with the same name in the Sahel region.

[@kofisam4106]

Tell the people of America that, naming their cities, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, and new hampshire is also illegal.. for your information, the people of old Ghana were mandinka people, and currently their are indigenous mandinkas in northern Ghana, so there’s a link between the old and the new.

[@jarazy1232]

Geographically, modern Ghana has no ties to the ancient country, but there several tribes in the north of modern Ghana that claim to have migrated from the ancient Ghana empire.

[@jarrodyuki7081]

no child policy for those below poverty and one child policy for those below median income.

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

Even after WW2 and Britain still would not let go of its colonies...

[@julianshepherd2038]

When did anyone ever want to lose an empire

[@resentfuldragon]

france is even worse, they still do stuff to this day just like they used to. They send troops to nations and steal their resources, and force ex-colonies to pay them including the poor ones like haiti.

[@pecadodeorgullo5963]

It was trying to dismantle slowly which isn't a bad move since it allows for reforms to happen and by the time of independence they'd be ready for it. Of course, this is if everything goes smoothly which almost never happens.

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

@@julianshepherd2038 Several times in history, usually after a large scale conflict. You should read sometime. :)

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

@@pecadodeorgullo5963 Aye, and unfortunately, Britain in particular's got a long track record of "dragging their feet", ensuring the worst possible scenarios are the result. Like what's going on there right now with how they managed the plague and the sudden influx of immigration.

[@vasilerogojan4520]

At least this former British colony didn't end in the same way as Cyprus with all the mess with the the UN intervention.

[@theoutlook55]

You mean with the Turkish military intervention? The UN just brokered the ceasefire.

[@akhripasta2670]

@@theoutlook55 *and British keeping a piece of it

[@theawesomeman9821]

Cool fact, most Afro-Americans are genetically related to the people of Ghana.

[@manovrsb]

Maybe cause those were the people who sold their ancestors to Europeans? It's not something we find cool.

[@legendaryking913]

no shit

[@juanjuri6127]

Ghana: Now that I'm independent I'm gonna name myself Ghana, after the old empire located in modern-day Mali, with no direct ties to us Benin: Now that I'm independent I'm gonna name myself Benin, after the old empire located in modern-day Nigeria, with no direct ties to us Mali: Now that I'm independent I'm gonna name myself Mali, after the old empire located in modern-day Mali, with direct ties to us Ghana + Benin: Ghana + Benin: that's illegal

[@kofisam4106]

Tell the people of America that, naming their cities, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, and new hampshire is also illegal.. for your information, the people of old Ghana were mandinka people, and currently their are indigenous mandinkas in northern Ghana, so there’s a link between the old and the new.

[@terryoppong4420]

You are wrong, some of the ethnic groups in modern Ghana trace their ancestry and migration from the old Ghana empire, don’t be ignorant

[@davidjohansson1459]

Sverige har haft en koloni på Guldkusten 🥇. En handelsstation

[@tng2057]

The US’s post war policy of encouraging independence of various colonies had somewhat backfired. Despite the best efforts by the US administrations and the UK governments, nearly all post independence British colonies became anti-west, with Malaysia/ Singapore, Kenya and UAE being the only notable exceptions. This did undermine the west’s effort in countering Soviet/China influence around the world.

[@saturationstation1446]

i wonder why POC countries wouldnt like the west lmfao. could it be because we see everything that isnt rich and white as subhuman? could it be because we always show that our only intentions are to hold others down so we can use them for slave labor? hmmm

[@jimmyrh247]

If you don't want to hear about a load of the background details, start watching from around 18:37.

[@andredeketeleastutecomplex]

Anglos know not of fairplay, they just use the word when it suits them and no one else.

[@Mixcoatl]

3:13 - Sorry, but I disagree with this. Countries don't just spontaneously become well-managed democracies overnight. It takes time, and institutions need to be put in place to ensure that things don't fall apart afterwards. Surely the number of dictatorships and wars in Africa following decolonization proves that. Why is it this channel always tries to put the worst spin on things when it comes to the UK?

[@yinrichard6808]

Why does he have to say "there's always a but" Its very annoying to hear it when it's repeated too many times!

[@The_Lucent_Archangel]

It's hardly "paternalistic" or "racist" to think that affording people who likely would have remained around a Bronze Age level of development had the colonial era not occurred, might need a bit more time to get ready to stand on their own. Given how disused and shoddy much of the infrastructure built during that era has become since and how often tribal wars have flared up to outright genocide among Africans without any hated "colonizers" around, the case can certainly be made. What's curious to me is the unilaterally negative, dim view this channel and others take of that timeframe and the rosy picture painted of "decolonization" in spite of how things have progressed since. Or the glossing over of the fact that the PRC as part of their Belt and Road Initiative has become the new "colonizer" in all but name without the sort of backlash and constant guilt heaped toward present day Europeans whose forefathers are painted as white devils that contributed nothing to the more developed and modern state of Africa, the Americas, and Asia. This is said by a descendant of a "colonized" people. I recall quite clearly how my mother reacted when I asked if we should resent the Spanish over their time holding Mexico (Nueva Espana as they called it) as a colony. She laughed it off and told me that from the Conquistadors to the war of independence, Spain had indeed committed atrocities and stolen resources for their own enrichment. But she then pointed out that our ancestors weren't developing or using said resources and routinely butchered or sacrificed one another along tribal lines for centuries immemorial before the Spanish arrived. And that without their intervention, we'd likely still be living in huts and trying to avoid being sacrificed on a stone altar with an obsidian knife. Same holds true with some altered specifics for other former colonies, but the prevailing popular narrative is to ignore any redeeming qualities and laser-focus onto the offenses. Just food for thought.

[@scottkrater2131]

I can't speak about all Russians, but the last Russians I did talk to were just as racist as as any white supremacists in the US.

[@tobilobaokorodudu9594]

Here come all the racists about to infest this comment section. 🙄

[@TheSheepPimp]

Are you one?

[@01726463505]

@@TheSheepPimp He can't be. He have no POWAH!

[@raybarry4307]

If you look at the economic track record of former British colonies since their independence I'm not so convinced there was as much Paternalism or racism as is often thought. These countries were like 17 year olds that are screaming for independence from parental control and decide to move out the day after graduation into their own place only to find that electricity food and rent are actually Really hard to do so they move back home. I know in 2022 this is a forbidden opinion to have but Imperial colonies helped far more than hurt the people that lived there. At least the British ones.

[@simbamartens7192]

Virtually every British colony is much boff after independence than under colonialism by almost any metric. Many countries went through periods of decline and instability immediately after independence (not helped by Cold War interventions),but since the 1990's countries like Ghana have embraced multiparty democracy and experienced phenomenal economic growth. Only a handful of countries are worse off now than before independence e.g. Zimbabwe

[@tobilobaokorodudu9594]

Its an unpopular opinion because its untrue. By almost every metric, living standards, literacy rates, life spans excetera, have improved greatly upon independence from the leeches.

[@raybarry4307]

@@tobilobaokorodudu9594 It's just astounding to hear you use literacy rates as a metric seeing as the British found the country an 99.99% illiterate rate backwards country and actually taught the people to read so that by the time they left a great deal of the population was literate. They also left them with such trivial things as hospitals and running water, a deep understanding of the most useful language in the world, a sewage system and electricity. In short the British turned them in to a modern people. You're welcome by the way.

[@tobilobaokorodudu9594]

@@raybarry4307 You can keep deluding yourself against the fact, it still doesn't change anything. When the leeches left standards of living began to rise by a wide margin.

[@raybarry4307]

@@tobilobaokorodudu9594 What fact??? Your whole argument is they were all better off when the British left. Why? Well just cause. That's not a convincing argument. Like most ppl with this opinion I've talked to your whole argument is based purely on emotion. 🙄