Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism

Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism (1965) is a nonfiction work by Kwame Nkrumah, the first Prime Minister and then-President of Ghana, who was a leading figure in the Pan-African movement. In the book, Nkrumah argues that former colonial powers and other capitalist countries continued to subjugate African nations and other colonized regions even after they achieved formal independence. The book criticizes the global capitalist framework and voices a call to action for developing nations to seek true economic and political sovereignty.

This guide uses the 1965 Thomas Nelson edition.

Content Warning: The source text deals extensively with racism, colonialism, and acts of political violence.

Summary

Neo-Colonialism begins with an Introduction, in which Kwame Nkrumah presents this latest stage of imperialism as its most dangerous but final stage. Even though so many former colonies are gaining independence, the structures of colonialism remain in place. Through banking systems, private companies, and diplomatic tools, the imperial powers have continued their exploitation of their former colonies. As the former leader of Ghana—someone who has overseen the independence and continued exploitation of his home country—Nkrumah is in a unique position to describe and analyze this exploitation.

Nkrumah outlines the wealth of resources which can be found in Africa. These resources—such as iron, coal, and petroleum—are essential for modern economies. Though many of these resources are extracted in Africa, they are extracted in such a way that they are then exported to Western countries so that the African countries rarely profit. Africa’s resources are used to develop and enrich other countries, rather than the developing countries in which these resources are found. Often, American shareholders are enriched at the expense of the peoples of Africa, while Africa itself is kept deliberately “balkanized” to prevent any threat to this exploitative system.

Though countries in Africa are now nominally independent of the former colonial powers, independence has been conditional. During the process of independence, the imperialists drew borders, removed infrastructure, and imposed economic demands on countries in such a way that they would be unable to unify against the dominant Western powers. Neo-colonialism ensures that these countries appear independent, but their economic progress is still deliberately held back. Nkrumah believes that Pan-Africanism is the counter to neo-colonialism: Only though unity can the former colonies challenge the imperial powers.

Nkrumah describes the way in which the United States has come to dominate the post-World War II era. Though many imperial powers have given independence to their colonies, American companies and politicians are at the head of this new form of colonial control, neo-colonialism. Furthermore, the British Empire has transformed into the Commonwealth, while France operates a similar organization for many of its former colonies. The United States may portray itself as an anti-colonial power but this is deceptive. Nkrumah reveals the way in which the media obfuscates the realities of neo-colonialism by pretending that the colonial era is entirely over.

Together with the former imperial powers, the United States competes to extract resources from Africa as part of an ideological battle against the Soviet Union. The Cold War is the primary concern of the United States; neo-colonialism helps to fuel this fight against socialism. Large American companies are invested in neo-colonial ventures across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. They make huge sums of money and secure important resources such as uranium for the United States.

Nkrumah goes into meticulous detail to describes the interconnected nature of the neo-colonial apparatus. There are thousands of countries involved in the mining industry, for example, but many of them are invested in one another. Through a complicated network of cross-investment, subsidiaries, and shell companies, with people sitting on numerous boards at any given time, the wealth of Africa is actually plundered by a relatively small number of people. These wealthy capitalists greatly enrich themselves at the expense of Africans and other people in developing countries. Importantly, Nkrumah notes that these capitalists are also exploiting the working-class people in Western countries. Nkrumah preaches the importance of class solidarity between people in developing countries and working-class people in Western countries, as they are both being exploited by the financial interests of neo-colonialism.

Nkrumah also examines the way in which the neo-colonialism of his present is deeply entwined with the racism and violence of the colonial past. Figures like Cecil Rhodes were unrepentant racists who believed in the morality of ruling over African people. The companies founded by Rhodes are still in operation, while the mines and infrastructure which he built and funded remain in place. The explicit racism of men like Rhodes has gone, but the exploitation of developing countries continues in the neo-colonial era, often with the same institutions in place.

Nkrumah also examines the violent murder of Patrice Lumumba, a former leader of the newly-independent Congo. Lumumba sought to nationalize many of the industries in Congo following independence from Belgium. The Belgian authorities, however, conspired with local separatists to scuttle Lumumba’s plans and, eventually, had him killed. The violence which occurred in Congo in the wake of Lumumba’s death continues to this day, while the extraction of important resources and minerals by Western companies continues as well. This, Nkrumah suggests, is the most explicit example of the violence of neo-colonialism.

Though Nkrumah has spent the majority of his book describing the power and interconnectedness of the neo-colonial powers, he does not lose hope for the future. He is optimistic for the future of developing countries, citing his own experiences as leader of Ghana to offer suggestions as to how developing countries can combat neo-colonialism. Through Pan-African unity, class solidarity, and greater awareness, he hopes that colonialism can be defeated in all its forms once and for all.