Western Civilization II / Unit 18 WC2 1716 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Iran 1953, Ghana 1957: Two Roads Out of Empire
Captions available
The idea
Mossadegh nationalized British oil in nineteen fifty-one; in fifty-three a CIA and British coup restored the Shah, the Truman Doctrine's asymmetry. Ghana went the other way: Nkrumah negotiated independence in fifty-seven, the first in black Africa, preaching Pan-Africanism. Avoiding communist rhetoric kept a movement out of the Cold War.
In practice
"A United States of Africa", Nkrumah's aim.
Where people slip
Operation Ajax is the witness's name.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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