Fascism in Africa
Encyclopedia
Fascism in Africa refers to the phenomenon of fascist
parties and movements that were active in Africa
. Due to the status of Africa as an area of colonialism
during the inter-war period fascist movements rarely developed. However the ideology was not unheard of whilst Europe
an fascist powers were active colonialists.
's status as an independent country dominated by the white
minority meant that it shared a number of characteristics with Europe whilst also having an insitutionalised form of racism
in the apartheid system. As such it proved a fertile ground for the development of group's inspired by European fascism.
Nazism
found an audience in the country, with pro-Nazi elements organised by Louis Weichardt
in 1932 under the name South African Gentile National Socialist Movement, a group that soon became known as the Greyshirts
. Although the group enjoyed some support and continued after the Second World War they never became sufficiently important for the government to take action against them. The other main fascist group was the Ossewabrandwag
(OB), founded in 1939, a group also inspired by Adolf Hitler
. The two differed however as the Greyshirts emphasised Aryan race
rhetoric and so organised amongst the various white immigrant communities whilst the OB were specifically for Afrikaner
only. A third, more minor group, the New Order, emerged in 1940 under the leadership of former cabinet minister Oswald Pirow
. After the Second World War Pirow became an important figure in neo-fascism
, working closely with Oswald Mosley
, Nation Europa
and A. F. X. Baron
. Nazi Germany
sought to encourage such activity with former Olympic boxer Robey Leibbrandt
active as an agent for the Abwehr
during the war. The Nazi Party itself also organised until it was outlawed in 1936.
In the post-war era far right
groups that are sometimes characterised as being fascist or at least fascist-related include Eugène Terre'Blanche
's Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
, the Herstigte Nasionale Party
, the Boerestaat Party
, the Vereniging van Oranjewerkers
and the coalition Afrikaner Volksfront.
and French North Africa meant that political ideas travelled between the regions and as early as the 1890s the proto-fascist Antisemitic League of France
was active in Algiers
. It was not until later however that indigenous versions began to emerge. In 1930s Egypt
the Young Egypt movement, known as the greenshirts, became important. They followed the models of fascist groups in Europe and praised Italian fascism
and Nazism
, although they largely supported exisitng elites. Within the Egyptian Army
General Aziz Ali al-Masri (1878-1965) was noted for his fascist sympathies, to the extent that he was dismissed as Chief of Staff in 1940. Masri deserted the army and attempted to link up with the Afrika Korps
but was arrested before he could escape.
In Italian Libya
Benito Mussolini
sought to gain popularity by presenting himself as a defender of Islam
and he formed a Libyan Arab Fascist Party to which indigenous people were admitted. This was not the case in Ethiopia
, where resistance was much fiercer and fascism did not take root. In both colonies, though, fascist youth movements were formed under Italian tutelage (Arab Lictor Youth
and Ethiopian Lictor Youth
).
It as at times been argued that the regimes of Gamal Abdel Nasser
and Muammar al-Gaddafi
, with their emphasis on ultra-nationalism, the leadership principle and anti-Semitism
might be classified as fascist. However Stanley G. Payne
has argued that this is not the case because in the case of Nasser there was a total absence of anti-communism
(which is central to fascism), in the case of Gaddafi he emphasised the Islamic nature of his regime unlike the secularism of fascism and in both cases there was a distinct lack of any coherent ideology, fascist or otherwise.
A fascist youth movement is currently emerging in South Africa within the ranks of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) under the leadership of Julius Malema. Malema relies on racist rhetoric to gain popularity amongst the empoverished population of South Africa, and even goes so far as to sing a rally song instructing followers to 'shoot the boer' i.e 'kill the (white Afrikaaner) farmer'.
and Gerard Wallop, 9th Earl of Portsmouth
, made their homes in Kenya
during the 1930s. Although too few in number to form any meaningful political grouping they nonetheless maintained close links to the British Union of Fascists
, of which most had been members. Other white settlers organised pro-Nazi groups in Rhodesia
during the Second World War.
Amongst the indigenous people fascism in its true ideological sense is unheard of. Parallels have frequently been drawn between Hitler and Uganda
's Idi Amin
and it has been claimed that Amin's admiration for Hitler was so great that he even intended to build a statue of him. However from an ideological standpoint he shared little or nothing with proper fascism, sharing only cruelty and anti-Semitism
with Hitler.
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
parties and movements that were active in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Due to the status of Africa as an area of colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
during the inter-war period fascist movements rarely developed. However the ideology was not unheard of whilst Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an fascist powers were active colonialists.
South Africa
South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's status as an independent country dominated by the white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
minority meant that it shared a number of characteristics with Europe whilst also having an insitutionalised form of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
in the apartheid system. As such it proved a fertile ground for the development of group's inspired by European fascism.
Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
found an audience in the country, with pro-Nazi elements organised by Louis Weichardt
Louis Weichardt
Louis Theodor Weichardt was a South African political leader who founded the Greyshirts, a National Socialist organization.Born in Paarl of German extraction...
in 1932 under the name South African Gentile National Socialist Movement, a group that soon became known as the Greyshirts
Greyshirts
Greyshirts or Gryshemde is the common short-form name given to the South African Gentile National Socialist Movement, a South African Nazi movement that existed during the 1930s and 1940s...
. Although the group enjoyed some support and continued after the Second World War they never became sufficiently important for the government to take action against them. The other main fascist group was the Ossewabrandwag
Ossewabrandwag
The Ossewabrandwag was an anti-British and pro-German organization in South Africa during World War II, which opposed South African participation in the war...
(OB), founded in 1939, a group also inspired by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. The two differed however as the Greyshirts emphasised Aryan race
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
rhetoric and so organised amongst the various white immigrant communities whilst the OB were specifically for Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
only. A third, more minor group, the New Order, emerged in 1940 under the leadership of former cabinet minister Oswald Pirow
Oswald Pirow
Oswald Pirow was a South African lawyer and far right politician, who held office as minister of Justice and Defence.-Early life:...
. After the Second World War Pirow became an important figure in neo-fascism
Neo-Fascism
Neo-fascism is a post–World War II ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. The term neo-fascist may apply to groups that express a specific admiration for Benito Mussolini and Italian Fascism or any other fascist leader/state...
, working closely with Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
, Nation Europa
Nation Europa
Nation Europa is a monthly magazine, published in Germany, that was originally established in support of Pan-European nationalism...
and A. F. X. Baron
A. F. X. Baron
Anthony Francis Xavier Baron was a British far-right political figure in the 1940s and 1950s who founded and headed the English branch of the Nationalist Information Bureau ....
. Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
sought to encourage such activity with former Olympic boxer Robey Leibbrandt
Robey Leibbrandt
-Synopsis:Sidney Robey Leibbrandt was a South African Boer of German and Irish descent who was an Olympic boxer and later an Abwehr member and fifth columnist for Nazi Germany.-1934:...
active as an agent for the Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
during the war. The Nazi Party itself also organised until it was outlawed in 1936.
In the post-war era far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
groups that are sometimes characterised as being fascist or at least fascist-related include Eugène Terre'Blanche
Eugène Terre'Blanche
Eugène Ney Terre'Blanche was a former member of South Africa's Herstigte Nasionale Party who founded the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging during the apartheid era...
's Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging is a South African far right separatist political and former paramilitary organization, since its creation dedicated to secessionist Afrikaner nationalism and the creation of an independent Boer-Afrikaner republic or "" in part of South Africa...
, the Herstigte Nasionale Party
Herstigte Nasionale Party
The Herstigte Nasionale Party van Suid-Afrika was formed as a right-wing splinter group of the South African National Party.-Formation:...
, the Boerestaat Party
Boerestaat Party
The Boerstaat Party is a right wing South African political party founded on September 30, 1986 by the late Robert van Tonder. It was never official because the required 500 persons under one roof could not be rallied. It was never represented in the South African Parliament, neither in the...
, the Vereniging van Oranjewerkers
Vereniging van Oranjewerkers
Vereniging van Oranjewerkers was a South African far right political movement that sought full racial segregation....
and the coalition Afrikaner Volksfront.
North Africa
North Africa has also seen activity that has sometimes been identified as fascism. The high level of movement between FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and French North Africa meant that political ideas travelled between the regions and as early as the 1890s the proto-fascist Antisemitic League of France
Antisemitic League of France
The Antisemitic League of France was founded in 1889 by the journalist Edouard Drumont. First known under the name of Ligue nationale antisémitique de France or Ligue antisémite française , this nationalist league was created in the midst of the Dreyfus Affair...
was active in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. It was not until later however that indigenous versions began to emerge. In 1930s Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
the Young Egypt movement, known as the greenshirts, became important. They followed the models of fascist groups in Europe and praised Italian fascism
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
and Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, although they largely supported exisitng elites. Within the Egyptian Army
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian Armed Forces and holds power in the current Egyptian government. It is estimated to number around 379,000, in addition to 479,000 reservists for a total of 858,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1820s, and during the...
General Aziz Ali al-Masri (1878-1965) was noted for his fascist sympathies, to the extent that he was dismissed as Chief of Staff in 1940. Masri deserted the army and attempted to link up with the Afrika Korps
Afrika Korps
The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
but was arrested before he could escape.
In Italian Libya
Italian Libya
Italian Libya was a unified colony of Italian North Africa established in 1934 in what represents present-day Libya...
Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
sought to gain popularity by presenting himself as a defender of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and he formed a Libyan Arab Fascist Party to which indigenous people were admitted. This was not the case in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, where resistance was much fiercer and fascism did not take root. In both colonies, though, fascist youth movements were formed under Italian tutelage (Arab Lictor Youth
Arab Lictor Youth
Arab Lictor Youth was a fascist youth organization for Arab youth in Italian Libya.-History:GAL was founded by the Italian Governor-General in Libya, Italo Balbo, in October 1935. GAL functioned as the Libyan counterpart of the Italian Lictor Youth...
and Ethiopian Lictor Youth
Ethiopian Lictor Youth
Ethiopian Lictor Youth was a fascist youth organization in Ethiopia. Soon after the Italian conquest of Ethiopia, thousands of school-children were organized in GEL. Through GEL a free lunch programme for children was set up. GEL had its own uniforms...
).
It as at times been argued that the regimes of Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
and Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
, with their emphasis on ultra-nationalism, the leadership principle and anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
might be classified as fascist. However Stanley G. Payne
Stanley G. Payne
Stanley George Payne is a historian of modern Spain and European Fascism at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He retired from full time teaching in 2004 and is currently Professor Emeritus at its Department of History. Payne is one of the most famous modern theorists of fascism...
has argued that this is not the case because in the case of Nasser there was a total absence of anti-communism
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
(which is central to fascism), in the case of Gaddafi he emphasised the Islamic nature of his regime unlike the secularism of fascism and in both cases there was a distinct lack of any coherent ideology, fascist or otherwise.
A fascist youth movement is currently emerging in South Africa within the ranks of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) under the leadership of Julius Malema. Malema relies on racist rhetoric to gain popularity amongst the empoverished population of South Africa, and even goes so far as to sing a rally song instructing followers to 'shoot the boer' i.e 'kill the (white Afrikaaner) farmer'.
East Africa
Like North Africa, the east of the continent saw some early development amongst white immigrant communities. A number of pro-fascist aristocrats, including Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of ErrollJosslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll
Josslyn Victor Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll and 5th Baron Kilmarnock was a British peer, famed for the unsolved case surrounding his murder and the sensation it caused during wartime Britain.-Early life:Hay was the eldest son of the diplomat Victor Hay, Lord Kilmarnock and his wife...
and Gerard Wallop, 9th Earl of Portsmouth
Gerard Wallop, 9th Earl of Portsmouth
Gerard Vernon Wallop, 9th Earl of Portsmouth , styled Viscount Lymington from 1925 until 1943, was a British landowner, writer on agricultural topics, and politician.-Early life:...
, made their homes in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
during the 1930s. Although too few in number to form any meaningful political grouping they nonetheless maintained close links to the British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
, of which most had been members. Other white settlers organised pro-Nazi groups in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
during the Second World War.
Amongst the indigenous people fascism in its true ideological sense is unheard of. Parallels have frequently been drawn between Hitler and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
's Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
and it has been claimed that Amin's admiration for Hitler was so great that he even intended to build a statue of him. However from an ideological standpoint he shared little or nothing with proper fascism, sharing only cruelty and anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
with Hitler.
See also
- Fascism in AsiaFascism in AsiaFascism in Asia refers to political ideologies in Asia which adhered to fascist policies.-Iran:Fascism in Iran was organised SUMKA , a neo-Nazi party founded by Davud Monshizadeh in 1952...
- Fascism in Europe
- Fascism in North AmericaFascism in North AmericaFascism in North America was composed of a set of related political movements in Canada, the United States, Mexico and elsewhere which were variants of fascism. Fascist movements in North America never realized power, unlike their counterparts in Europe...
- Fascism in South AmericaFascism in South AmericaFascism in South America was an assortment of political parties and movements modelled on fascism. Although originating in Europe and primarily associated with that continent the ideology did cross the Atlantic Ocean between the wars and had an influence on South American politics...