From 20th century
Gold Coast, West Africa
The Convention People's Party was founded in June 1949 by Kwame Nkrumah after his split from the United Gold Coast Convention. It adopted “Self-Government Now,” mobilised popular support, challenged constitutional arrangements that preserved British official influence, and used Positive Action against colonial rule. Electoral victories in Accra in 1950 and across the Gold Coast in 1951 brought the party into government and made the transition toward independence irreversible.
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The Story
The Convention People's Party emerged in June 1949 from Kwame Nkrumah's break with the United Gold Coast Convention. The new party differed from the older organisation in its emphasis on detailed political organisation and mass mobilisation. Newspapers and popular networks formed part of the support structure through which it sought to transform nationalist demands into electoral power.
The CPP immediately adopted the slogan “Self-Government Now.” It rejected a proposed constitution that still reserved a place for British officials in the Executive Council and threatened Positive Action to compel the British government to summon a constituent assembly. In January 1950, Positive Action was declared in a limited manner, while a general strike proclaimed by the TUC gave the confrontation an industrial dimension.
The government retained control, and Nkrumah and other CPP leaders received gaol sentences. Yet the party's organisational strength was soon demonstrated by its overwhelming victory in the Accra municipal elections of 1950. The CPP then won the 1951 general election, allowing Nkrumah to leave prison and enter government as Leader of Government Business.
The extract credits the CPP with an important contribution to progress before independence. Its period in power saw rapid growth in school enrolment and improvements in communications, including the beginning of Tema Harbour. At the same time, the movement later became associated with economic difficulties, authoritarian government, and the failure to fulfil its wider programme of social reform.
From 20th century
Gold Coast, West Africa
The Convention People's Party was founded in June 1949 by Kwame Nkrumah after his split from the United Gold Coast Convention. It adopted “Self-Government Now,” mobilised popular support, challenged constitutional arrangements that preserved British official influence, and used Positive Action against colonial rule. Electoral victories in Accra in 1950 and across the Gold Coast in 1951 brought the party into government and made the transition toward independence irreversible.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Convention People's Party emerged in June 1949 from Kwame Nkrumah's break with the United Gold Coast Convention. The new party differed from the older organisation in its emphasis on detailed political organisation and mass mobilisation. Newspapers and popular networks formed part of the support structure through which it sought to transform nationalist demands into electoral power.
The CPP immediately adopted the slogan “Self-Government Now.” It rejected a proposed constitution that still reserved a place for British officials in the Executive Council and threatened Positive Action to compel the British government to summon a constituent assembly. In January 1950, Positive Action was declared in a limited manner, while a general strike proclaimed by the TUC gave the confrontation an industrial dimension.
The government retained control, and Nkrumah and other CPP leaders received gaol sentences. Yet the party's organisational strength was soon demonstrated by its overwhelming victory in the Accra municipal elections of 1950. The CPP then won the 1951 general election, allowing Nkrumah to leave prison and enter government as Leader of Government Business.
The extract credits the CPP with an important contribution to progress before independence. Its period in power saw rapid growth in school enrolment and improvements in communications, including the beginning of Tema Harbour. At the same time, the movement later became associated with economic difficulties, authoritarian government, and the failure to fulfil its wider programme of social reform.
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