Over the course of several hundred years, these regions had been colonized by various European powers, mainly Spain in Latin America and Britain and France in Africa. However, three basic issues instigated decolonization in Africa and Latin America-the indigenous peoples' desire for independence, European distraction with global affairs, and popular resentment against racism and inequality.

Decolonization is "the action of changing from colonial to independent status." In addition to the causes which led to Latin American decolonization were Allied promises after World War II, limited higher education for a few individuals, and the unstoppable forces of nationalism. In strikingly similar long term effects, Africa and Latin America lost their indigenous heritages, natural resources, economic stability and political autonomy. Plunged into debt and torn by civil war, both faced similar consequences in the aftermath of decolonization. Although differing in unique application of process, Latin America and Africa were mostly similar in overall comparison of decolonization.

Of course, the colonizations of Africa and Latin America preceded and led to their separate decolonizations. After Columbus discovered San Salvador in 1492, European colonialism led to the subjugation of Latin America during the sixteenth century. Using religious conversion as an excuse, Catholic expansionism engulfed the land and consumed the resources of the native population. Draining indigenous assets for European benefit, colonization in Latin America eventually led to civil unrest and a push for independence after the American and French revolutions. A later facet of the same colonialism, called imperialism, occurred in Africa during the late nineteenth century. Earlier, European greed had ruined Africa by a filthy exploitation of African people as a cheap means of slave labor. During the Scramble for Africa, European imperialistic powers carved up Africa and its resources into political partitions at the Berlin Conference of 1884-85.

By 1905, African soil was completely controlled by European might, mainly Britain, France, Portugal, Germany, and Italy. As a result of colonialism and imperialism, Latin America and Africa suffered long term effects, such as the loss of important natural resources like gold and rubber, economic devastation, cultural confusion, geopolitical division, and political subjugation. However, European domination also brought better roads, railways, harbors, hospitals, education, and modern agricultural methods."

In comparison to the decolonization of Latin America, a combination of three similar circumstances and three different trends of Allied promises, better education, and the forces of nationalism led to African emancipation. Comparative to Latin American decolonization, African desire for independence was based on witnessing the successful revolution and subsequent self rule of its neighbor nation, India, led by the exemplary pacifist Mahatma Gandhi. Secondly, African decolonization occurred with the international confrontation of the Cold War. Because the Soviet Union was attempting to promulgate its Communist ideology, major European powers feared that their desperate colonies would turn to Communism as a radical means of obtaining independence. Although in a different form from Latin America, racism was the third circumstance which affected the decolonization of Africa. Unlike Latin America, Africa did not have the racial mixture in the colonies, since Europeans had not settled and intermixed with the natives. Instead, the racial prejudice was rooted in European belief of the inferiority of Africans based on cultural differences, lack of political involvement and lower education.

Differentiating from aspects of Latin American freedom, African decolonization was merely a fulfilling of promises. Desirous of discarding the economic burden of maintaining huge empires, Allied powers promised independence to Africa after World War II. In a second differing aspect, the better education of a few people played a huge part in informing and activating the multitudes. Lending a voice to the people of Africa, the support of intellectuals and well educated individuals united the masses by a surge of nationalism. This desire for change, for national awakening, for throwing off the colonial rule, became the final element which enabled Africans to push for independence through intellectual appeal, political campaign and bloody uprisings. In 1957, Ghana became the first African nation to become independent. Further African decolonization occurred with the independence of Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Malawi, Gambia, Botswana, Swaziland, Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal, and Niger. By the end of the 1970s, almost no African soil remained constricted by colonial rule.

The results of decolonization continued to affect Latin America long after colonialism was gone. Because the mother countries had exercised full political control during colonization, political instability ensued after the colonial governing influence was gone. Although democracy in government was attempted, racial inequality in Latin America was too deep seated to permit egalitarianism. Secondly, the partitions established during colonization led to border disputes in the newly decolonized states. During the violence, aggression, and civil war which further split the new states, Greater Columbia divided into the separate countries of Columbia, Panama, and Venezuela. Of course, the border wars coupled with colonial exploitation of natural resources led to the third result of decolonization-economic disaster. Under colonialism, the colonies had been totally dependent on the mother countries to buy their raw materials such as cash crops or minerals. When the mother country's support for the narrow cash crop based economy was gone, the entire economy threatened to crash. Stripped of its natural resources and without a stable government, Latin America needed to diversify and industrialize its economy, but lacked the means. Only by borrowing huge amounts of money were the new countries able to stay afloat. In this fourth result of decolonization, debt led to Latin American susceptibility and dependence on its lenders. In a condition known as neocolonialism, the countries or bankers which loaned money to Latin America used those loans as a means of exerting economic or political control over Latin America.

In the aftermath of decolonization, Africa displayed the same four results found in Latin America. Political instability occurred with the introductions of Marxist and capitalist influence, along with continuing friction from racial inequalities. Inciting civil war, Black Nationalist groups participated in violent attacks against white settlers, trying to end "white minority rule" in the government. Further violence occurred with disagreements over the partitions made during the colonization. Despite widespread acceptance of these partitions, border disputes such as those between Chad and Libya, Ethiopia and Somalia, and Nigeria and Cameroon are nursed even today.6 In another result of colonialism followed by decolonization, the African economy was drained of natural resources with no opportunity to diversify from its colonial export of cash crops. Suffering through famine and drought, Africa struggled to industrialize its poverty stricken work force without sufficient funds. In an attempt to influence the Third World to adopt the ideology of either capitalism or Communism, the United States and the Soviet Union loaned food and money to Africa. In this fourth circumstance of post decolonization, debt was a result of the poor economic set up of colonialism. To feed, educate, and modernize its masses, Africa borrowed huge sums of money from various nations, bankers and companies. In return, the lenders tried to exert political power over Africa, even though technically not in charge. Sadly, the borrowed money did not fix the devastated economy. Since the massive loans in both Africa and Latin America have been squandered by mismanagement and corruption of dictators, social issues such as education, healthcare, and political stability have been ignored.

Conclusion

Three main phenomena led to decolonization-- colonial desire for independence based on the successful emancipation of other nations, European distraction with international affairs, and native resentment against racial discrimination. Three additional aspects, including the Allied promises of independence after World War II, better educational opportunities, and a wave of nationalism, separated African decolonization from that of Latin America. In a direct comparison, the four main results of decolonization proved similar in generality, but unique in application. Finally, the results of decolonization including political instability, border disputes, economic ruin, and massive debt continue to plague both Africa and Latin America to this present day.