History of Ghana

The Empire of Ghana does not have geographical or historical bonds direct with the modern Ghana . The second, old Gold Coast, was famous by simple homage to the first.

Prehistory

The first human ones arrived at Ghana approximately 200.000 years ago on the coast. The climate was then about the same one as aujourd´hui, but one period of dryness started it there has 25.000 years and lasted until 13.000 years ago and obliged these human to leave the increasingly inhospitable territory. The dryness transformed the virgin forest more and more into savanna.

The date of the return of new human beings is still unknown. Oldest ceramics goes back to approximately 3800 av J-C. It is about at that time that agriculture arrived. It is the beginning of the culture Kintampo which leaves many vestiges, with the north of the country (axe, stone-built house, pottery).

Antiquity

Various ethnos groups of languages Sudanese woman populates the country, political l unity does not exceed the village or the group of villages. They are chefferies héréditaires.les populations uses the tom-tom to communicate to far and cultivates an oral tradition. The various ethnos groups do not cease dévoluer by giving rise to d´autre often antagonistic ethnos groups. The chefferies Ashanti s´organisent in state (borders, taxes, constant army) to be protected from the incursions of their neighbors. A temporary slavery is imposed to the criminal or to the prisoner of war.

Portuguese colonization

In 1471, the Portuguese unloaded on the coast of the Ghana future, which will receive thereafter the name of “Gold Coast” (Coast-of-L' Gold). In 1482, they founded a first commercial counter with São Jorge da Mina, where the fortress Elmina is currently located. The Portuguese launched out the trade of gold, and the area became the first supplier of Europe. They kept the monopoly of this trade during more than one century and half. They also launched out in the Commerce of the slaves, trade more profitable than that of gold, than it supplanted soon in importance as of second half of the 17th century. They founded El Mina, true military base, from which Portuguese imposed their will on the coastal ethnos groups, so qu´elles their gold and slaves get.

This trade attracted covetousnesses, the Dutchmen succeeded in driving out the Portuguese of Western Africa by taking their principal fortresses, between 1637 and 1641. The new colonizers shared coastal space with the European British, and some merchants. Inside the grounds, powerful states Akan were created, directed by the Achanti, which exerted a domination without division on the close people, which were to pay a tribute in the form of slaves.

British colonization

The British gradually took the advantage vis-a-vis the Portuguese and with the Dutchmen, in the fight for the control of the trade of gold and the slaves. But this last is abolished in 1807 by the Parlement of Winchester. The British bought the Dutch counters in Africa, and founded a new colony, the Togo British (Togoland) in 1874. During the XIXe century, the British knew many wars against the Ashanti. The colonizers fixed as of 1901 the borders of Ghana: the Ashanti territory and the north of the country were subjected and attached thereafter to the colony. Part of Togo German, populated by the Éwé, was added to him in 1922. In the years 1920, “Gold Coast” became the African colony the most prosperous thanks in particular to the trade of the Cacao, and to mining. English will build the first schools of the country, this one will be very few. English becomes the official language, but the local languages were tolerated by the colonial authorities in the elementary schools, English remaining the principal language of teaching.

Decolonization

In 1939 in the second world war, the United Kingdom s´engage against l´Allemagne Nazi. The brittanic big cities are bombarded and the English fleet is quasi destroyed. The country s´en leaves victorious only thanks to l´aide l´union Soviet, of the United States and of Canada.Les troops of these the last two countries occupy the United Kingdom. The devastated country is not rebuilt qu´avec l´aide financial American. Theplain one is thus directed de facto with all its colonies by the States-unis.Le brittanic knell of l´empire with rung, l´Inde gigantic colony a whole symbol becomes independent with the finde the war in 1945.

The two super powers the USA and l´URSS are opposed to colonialism for ideological reasons push the United Kingdom with the reforms in 1956 during the crisis of Suez the brittanic troops are even obliged to withdraw itself under the Soviet nuclear threat. The United Kingdom then humiliated on the international plan.

Since 1925, the British organized elections, in order to elect a legislative council of the autochtones chiefs. But the political life developed really only after the Second world war. Following the ceaseless nationalist disorders, the British gave more autonomy to the country. A major fact in the way towards independence take place in 1951, with the victory of the Left the convention of the people (Convention People' S Party, CP), founded in 1949 by Kwame Nkrumah, with the legislative elections. Kwame Nkrumah became the Head of State of the local government, and in collaboration with the British authorities, it obtained independence, proclaimed in January 1957.

Independence

It is the first country black-African Colonisé to have been able to reach independence. One of its first acts of sovereignty, the March 6th 1957 was to give up its colonial name of Gold Coast to the profit of current, homage to the Empire of Ghana. Ghana entered the following days to the the United Nations.

In 1960, Nkrumah becomes naturally the first president of the country. The system soclaire sétend thanks to lá ide international and replaces the system of traditional formation, the country s´endette to be modernized and s´ouvre with the international business.

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