THE TRUMAN ADMINISTRATION AND THE DECOLONIZATION OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, 1945-1952

The United States emerged from World War II with an anti-colonialist reputation, but failed to maintain that reputation after the war. The Cold War forced the Truman administration to concentrate on countering the Soviet Union's perceived threat to American security. As part of this anti-Soviet drive, the United States committed itself to defending West European interests. Other issues, including anti-colonialism, then became secondary to the objective of containing Soviet expansion in Europe and elsewhere. The colonial powers encouraged this trend.;Colonial powers also sought to use the Cold War for their own purposes. France and Italy threatened to disrupt western unity on account of Algeria, Libya and Eritrea. Britain and France, claiming that the Soviets and their communist allies instigated nationalist agitations, castigated the United States for its initially strong anti-colonial position. After withdrawing from Asia, and in an effort to make Africa the center of its remaining empire, Britain managed to convince the United States that it had the Africans' best interests at heart and that the nationalists were trouble makers.;At the same time, the Truman administration was sensitive to the international effects of continuing racism in the United States, and to the charges of collusion with the colonialists. Critics demanded that Washington practice democracy within both the United States and Africa before preaching it in Eastern Europe. In response, the Truman administration tried hard to deal with what it considered to be Soviet propaganda advantages on race matters and in colonial areas. The administration advocated a strong civil rights program, which nearly cost Truman the 1948 election, and tried to create a middle-of-the-road position on colonial issues. The civil rights program had the desired effect, but the administration's attempt to mediate colonial questions did not. The Truman administration's inability to distance itself from the colonial powers created the impression in the minds of the Africans and their American supporters that the United States opposed independence.