2018 - WAEC Government Past Questions and Answers - page 5

The initial aim of British rule was to build influence in as much of Africa as possible. The British wanted total control of Africa, this was met by local African resistance. -The next movement was to control African trade. Since the British had already worked their way into the Gold Coast, the Africans were forced to trade with Britain. other reasons include; To collect taxes and tributes, for surveillance to avoid tax evasion and attempts to subvert their power, and to control disputes and justice, states often created their own administration

The purpose of the theory of assimilation was to turn African natives into "French" men by educating them in the language and French culture and hence become French citizens or equals.

it was replaced with the policy of association. This policy is of the opposing idea that, the relationship between the conqueror and the conquered, of white and black peoples, should be one of ‘association’, not one of identity and merging; it emphasised cooperation between the rulers and the ruled.

This are some of the raesons the french policy of asimilation failed;

1. The varied African cultures made it difficult for them to be absorbed into the French culture

2. The Africans were not able get the French type of education

3. The Africans were not willing to become Christians 

4. They forced opposition from the Muslims

5. The French did not compete with the Africans for cabinet posts and commercial activities

6. African traditional rulers feared they would lose their position

7. French traders feared competition, so they opposed the system

8. It was expensive to implement the system because of the vastness of the French empire.

Nationalism can be defined as the desire for Africans to end all forms of foreign control and influence so as to be able too take charge of their political, social and economic affairs. The second world war helped build strong African nationalism, which resulted in a common goal for all Africans to fight for their freedom. World War II led to decolonization of Africa by affecting both Europe and Africa militarily, psychologically, politically, and economically. it was basically made up of the educated elites who had been educated by west education and the chiefs who felt threatened they might loose their positions and place of authority amongst their subjects, if they do not fight back to retain their seats as traditional rulers.

The reasons of military interventions in politics has taken place on the basis of vested interest of military, poverty, economic instability, weak institutions, corruption and as well as on the basis of low political culture.

the military are not trained to rule and so when they come into power by means of a coup d' tat, their style of leadership is usually aggressive with no regards to the law in most cases. A military is a heavily-armed, highly-organised force primarily intended for warfare, also known collectively as armed forces. 

The commonwealth of nations helps in Building, supporting and strengthening legal systems in member countries. This includes promoting regular elections and strengthening election bodies, institutions and processes.

The Commonwealth regularly sends teams to observe and report on the conduct of elections. it help build lasting democratic institutions, enabling citizen participation and representation at national and local level. They believe in invitation, not intervention, and follow the principles outlined in the international declaration and code of conduct for election observers

Foreign policy is a a government's strategy in dealing with other nations.The basic factors that influence foreign policy are the individual and domestic influences. The outcome depends on the individual decision making ability, on the type of society and government they want to work with.These influences operate from the individual and domestic levels of analysis.

Major problems facing the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, include political instability and poor governance of member states, weakness and lack of diversification of national economies, poor or absent infrastructures for transportation and communications, and an abundance of similar organizations with the same objectives. ECOWAS also faces various social problems endemic to the region and the indifference to progress manifested by some of its members.

The United Nations was created to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, protect human rights, maintain international peace and security, and uphold international law.