Objective
This week we focused on West African's search for viable economic development at the time of independence. As the comparative case study of Ghana and the Ivory Coast indicates, the Cold War was an important context for exploring the effectiveness of the economic development strategies pursued by West African leaders.
Many West African leaders turned to the US for help in their struggles for independence, and subsequently, in their search economic development opportunities. The purpose of this week's discussion is to help us digest the information through sharing our ideas and perspectives.
General Instructions
Theassignment comprises two parts (A and B). To earn the maximum credit, please answer all the questions in Part A (the individual submission) and in Part B (the discussion board). In addition, you should participate actively in your discussion team by responding to at least four of your colleague's posts.
The best discussion grade will be awarded to those who initiate lively conversation in their groups. Active participation means reading your colleagues' posts and commenting thoughtfully to at least four of their posts and or comments.
Part A: Individual Submission
The Volta Dam Project provides a good case study to assess the impacts of the Cold War on the evolving relationship between the United States and the newly independent West African countries during the early 1960s. But it also provides an example of the attempts by some African leaders to establish the foundations for rapid industrialization. Answer the following questions (a, b and c) and upload your responses by11:59 PM on May 28.
(a) After watching the documentaries on the Volta Dam Project and reading the chapters in Muehlenbeck, what do you consider to be the similarities and differences in the ways former Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower approached West African's need for economic development assistance? Cite specific examples from the documentaries and the readings (not more than a page, double-spaced).
(b) Considering that Nkrumah was suspected of being a communist, how would you have responded to his request for a loan to finance the project if you were the president of the United States during this period? Provide examples from the documentaries and the readings to support your position (not more than a page, double-spaced).
(c) Muehlenbeck appears to suggest that John F. Kennedy was probably the only American President who took Africa seriously. Do you agree with this assertion? What evidence did he provide to support his argument?
Part B: Discussion Board (5%) without tardiness
Post your responses to the following questions to your group discussion :
(1) Do you agree with Muehlenbeck, the author of "Betting on the Africans," that the Cold War had a significant impact on John F. Kennedy's decision whether to assist Nkrumah in the Volta Dam Project?
(2) While some praise Kwame Nkrumah for his attempts to establish the foundations for Ghana to become an industrialized nation, others criticized him for wasting Ghana's resources and subjecting the country to a massive debt. Placing your response in the context of the Cold War and the promises of economic progress made by West African leaders at the time of independence, do you think Nkrumah made the right choice in seeking a rapid industrialization of Ghana? In about half-a-page explain your position.
(3) The Volta Dam Project is only one of the expensive projects undertaking by West African leaders to promote rapid industrialization in their respective countries. Do you think post-independent West African leaders made a mistake in their haste to industrialize? What other development strategies do you think they should have followed to fulfil the promises they had made to their people that they would offer what the colonialists had failed to offer? Explain briefly.