"In the years following the close of World War II, alien rule in Africa has been all but eliminated, as upwards of thirty independent African nations emerged by the early 1960's. [The author] has selected and arranged forty-eight documents and readings to aid in an understanding of modern African history. The selections discuss: the opening of Africa; the various philosophies and systems of colonial rule and the consequences of World War I on the African scene; the impact of global conflict following 1939; the rise of nationalism; the independence explosion; the nature of the new African governments; Pan-Africanism; the African cultural renaissance; and such unresolved issues as South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, and Angola."--back cover.