Ghana politics today is structured like many European nations. This includes a head of state who is referred to as the President, and a Parliament which provides a sharing of legislative powers. In the 1980s, this particular system was established in an attempt to prevent another military coup, and to keep Presidents from becoming dictators.
The colonial rule of the seventeen and eighteen hundreds was very common, but prior to this time Ghanians were the heart of the Ashanti Empire. This was a powerful empire that boasted nearly half a million soldiers. They had established a very centralized and organized state, and conducted many aggressive wars of expansion in the area.
Often these wars were intended to maintain control over territories under their rule, and to forcefully collect taxes from local tribes. They also served to secure travel routes from the coast to the interior of the African continent. As with much of this continent, the Ashanti Empire was involved in the slave trade long before the European colonists came to the region.
This part of Africa is known as the Gold Coast because a great deal of gold has been mined from this region. The Portuguese came into the Ashanti empire in the 1400s, and with them they brought many slaves from other parts of Africa. They built a couple of forts along the coast, and there was a continued Portuguese and Dutch occupation of the area for about a hundred years.
The industrial age of Europe and North America sparked a decline in the world slave trade, finally ending in 1860. Now the British Empire had an eye to the Gold Coast in order to extract the rich abundance of raw materials from the region. A series of wars took place between England and the Ashanti Empire, allowing Europe to take several coastal cities.
After a series of wars between the Ashanti and the British, with the aid of Africans comfortable with the European presence, the Ashanti power declined. In 1875 an agreement was signed that there would be no further incursion into the southern cities of the coast. Additionally, they were required to keep the road to Kumasi open for trade.
With the twentieth century, there was less conflict with Europe. New food crops were brought into the area, and coffee became the largest cash crop for the Ghanians. With the end of the second world war, people in this part of Africa were wealthy, well educated, and ready to take over the rule of their own lands.
As the British colonies retreated from the political scene, there was a rise of totalitarian style rulers. Nkrumah was elected on July 1, 1960, and subsequently declared himself President for life. This initiated a period of social, political, and economic difficulty for the people.
The Busia administration eventually replaced Nkrumah, but this did not turn out any better for the people. Busia ousted many foreign businesses and colonists, declaring that the country should be self-supporting and did not desire outside interference. Busia initiated harsh austerity against the people, including his military, who finally had enough of Ghana politics and imposed a coup without bloodshed.
The colonial rule of the seventeen and eighteen hundreds was very common, but prior to this time Ghanians were the heart of the Ashanti Empire. This was a powerful empire that boasted nearly half a million soldiers. They had established a very centralized and organized state, and conducted many aggressive wars of expansion in the area.
Often these wars were intended to maintain control over territories under their rule, and to forcefully collect taxes from local tribes. They also served to secure travel routes from the coast to the interior of the African continent. As with much of this continent, the Ashanti Empire was involved in the slave trade long before the European colonists came to the region.
This part of Africa is known as the Gold Coast because a great deal of gold has been mined from this region. The Portuguese came into the Ashanti empire in the 1400s, and with them they brought many slaves from other parts of Africa. They built a couple of forts along the coast, and there was a continued Portuguese and Dutch occupation of the area for about a hundred years.
The industrial age of Europe and North America sparked a decline in the world slave trade, finally ending in 1860. Now the British Empire had an eye to the Gold Coast in order to extract the rich abundance of raw materials from the region. A series of wars took place between England and the Ashanti Empire, allowing Europe to take several coastal cities.
After a series of wars between the Ashanti and the British, with the aid of Africans comfortable with the European presence, the Ashanti power declined. In 1875 an agreement was signed that there would be no further incursion into the southern cities of the coast. Additionally, they were required to keep the road to Kumasi open for trade.
With the twentieth century, there was less conflict with Europe. New food crops were brought into the area, and coffee became the largest cash crop for the Ghanians. With the end of the second world war, people in this part of Africa were wealthy, well educated, and ready to take over the rule of their own lands.
As the British colonies retreated from the political scene, there was a rise of totalitarian style rulers. Nkrumah was elected on July 1, 1960, and subsequently declared himself President for life. This initiated a period of social, political, and economic difficulty for the people.
The Busia administration eventually replaced Nkrumah, but this did not turn out any better for the people. Busia ousted many foreign businesses and colonists, declaring that the country should be self-supporting and did not desire outside interference. Busia initiated harsh austerity against the people, including his military, who finally had enough of Ghana politics and imposed a coup without bloodshed.
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