History of Tanzania

The History of Tanzania goes way back when Tanganyika and Zanzibar were two different territories. Tanganyika was a German Colony before the authority was transferred to the British Monarchy. The German rule in Tanganyika and Zanzibar Island begun after the scramble and partition for Africa meeting which was held in Berlin in (1884-1885) these two territories were under Germany East Africa occupation. German occupation in East Africa lasted from (1886-1916).The administration of the territory in the agreement of 1886 was handed over to Karl Peters' German East Africa Company . The company extends its territory to the sea from 1888, by buying a lease of the coastal strip which was left in the sultan of Zanzibar's possession. But local resentment leads to a Muslim uprising in that year which is only suppressed after the arrival of German troops (assisted on this occasion by the British navy). The inadequacy of the company causes the German government to take direct control in 1891. But Karl Peters retains his involvement, being appointed imperial commissioner. There follow two decades in which the German authorities make considerable efforts to develop their east African colony. A railway is built from Dar es Salaam to Tabora and then on to Ujiji . New crops, such as sisal and cotton , are introduced and prove very successful - as also is the development of coffee plantations on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro . But this energetic German presence is profoundly resented by the African tribes, particularly when the harsh methods of forced labour are used in the cultivation of the new and alien crops. The result, in 1905, is a widespread popular rebellion which becomes known as the Maji-Maji rising. These scandals shock Berlin sufficiently for reforms in colonial policy to be hastily put in place. But any likely benefit is cut short by the onset of World War I. Early in 1916 British forces move south from Kenya to occupy Germany East Africa which marks the start of the British Mandate in East Africa (1919-1962) and the end of the Germany colonialism in East Africa. After the end of the war the treaty of Versailles, in 1919, grants Britain a League of Nations mandate to govern the former German East Africa - which now acquires a new name, Tanganyika. British policy from the 1920s onwards is to encourage indigenous African administration along traditional lines, through local councils and courts. A legislative council is also established in Dar es salaam , but African members are not elected to this until after World War II. By then local political development is an obligation under the terms of UN trusteeship, in which Britain places Tanganyika in 1947. During the 1950s a likely future leader of Tanganyika emerges in the person of Julius Nyerere . Son of a chief, a convert to Roman Catholicism while studying at Makerere college in Uganda , then an undergraduate for three years in Edinburgh university, Nyerere returns to Tanganyika in 1953. He immediately founds a political party, TANU or the Tanganyika African National Union (evolving it from an earlier and defunct Tanganyika African Association). From the start its members feature prominently in elections to the legislative assembly. When independence follows, in 1961, Nyerere becomes the new nation's prime minister. In 1962 Tanganyika adopts a republican constitution and Nyerere is elected president. The Tanzania Republic (1964-1985) In 1964 Nyerere reaches an agreement with Abeid Karume , president of the offshore island of Zanzibar which has been so closely linked in its history to the mainland territory of Tanganyika. The two presidents sign an act of union, bringing their nations together as the United Republic of Tanzania and this was the time the political part Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM was born,The party was created February 5, 1977, under the leadership of Julius Nyerere as the merger of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) , the then ruling party in Tanganyika, and the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) , the then ruling party in Zanzibar. Nyerere becomes president of the new state, with Karume as his vice-president. Nyerere, by instinct an idealistic socialist, guides his country along lines which often have a utopian touch. Local self-sufficiency is emphasized. Traditional and simple solutions are sought for local problems rather than relying on technological foreign imports. Great importance is placed on education and literacy, in which excellent results are achieved. Nyerere declares his political creed in a document of 1967 known as the Arusha Declaration . This announces the introduction of a socialist state and is accompanied by the nationalization of key elements in the economy. With such policies Nyerere inevitably has to rely on help from the eastern bloc, and in particular China. Nevertheless he is able to maintain his declared international stance of non-alignment.