HSY3701
Assignment 1 Semester 1 2026
Unique number:
Due Date: March 2026
This document includes:
Helpful answers and guidelines
Detailed explanations and/ or calculations
References
Connect with the tutor on
+27 81 278 3372
, All topics answered
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOPIC 1: FACTORS DRIVING FROM MULTIPARTY SYSTEMS TO
VARIOUS FORMS OF AUTHORITARIANISM IN AFRICA UNTIL THE
1970S. ........................................................................................................... 3
TOPIC 2: DECOLONIAL SOLUTIONS TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC
DRIVERS OF HIV AND AIDS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA ........................... 9
TOPIC 3: AFRICAN UNION SHIFT FROM OAU AND DECOLONIAL
REFORMS FOR CONTINENTAL GOVERNANCE ...................................... 16
© Study Shack 2026. All rights Reserved +27 81 278 3372
, TOPIC 1: FACTORS DRIVING FROM MULTIPARTY SYSTEMS TO VARIOUS
FORMS OF AUTHORITARIANISM IN AFRICA UNTIL THE 1970S.
1. Introduction
This research proposal focuses on why many African states moved from multiparty
politics to one party systems, military rule, and personal dictatorships between the
1960s and the 1970s. The study links this political shift to the wider impacts of
decolonisation, especially the way colonial rule shaped state structures, economies,
and political culture after independence (Manson 2010; Cooper 2002). The proposal
uses Topic 1 from Study Unit 2 and follows the required structure. It investigates how
weak institutions, economic dependence, patronage politics, and Cold War
pressures contributed to authoritarian rule, and it proposes decolonial solutions that
can strengthen democracy and accountability in postcolonial African governance
(Nugent 2004; Arnold 2005).
1.1 Historical background
Decolonisation created new states with strong expectations of freedom and
development. Many independence movements had broad support, and multiparty
elections were held in several countries at the start of independence (Hargreaves
1988). Yet, within a short time, political competition became tense and sometimes
violent. Some leaders argued that opposition parties threatened unity and
development, so they restricted political freedoms and moved toward one party rule
(Nugent 2004). In other cases, the military removed civilian governments, claiming
that it was restoring order or ending corruption, but military governments often
became more repressive and centralised than the governments they replaced
(Arnold 2005). These changes happened while African economies remained tied to
export systems created during colonial rule, and while international actors used
African states as strategic allies during the Cold War (Cooper 2002).
1.2 Rationale for the study
The study is academically important because it helps explain a key pattern in
modern African history: the early decline of democratic experiments after
independence and the rapid growth of authoritarian rule (Legum 1999; Nugent
© Study Shack 2026. All rights Reserved +27 81 278 3372
Assignment 1 Semester 1 2026
Unique number:
Due Date: March 2026
This document includes:
Helpful answers and guidelines
Detailed explanations and/ or calculations
References
Connect with the tutor on
+27 81 278 3372
, All topics answered
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOPIC 1: FACTORS DRIVING FROM MULTIPARTY SYSTEMS TO
VARIOUS FORMS OF AUTHORITARIANISM IN AFRICA UNTIL THE
1970S. ........................................................................................................... 3
TOPIC 2: DECOLONIAL SOLUTIONS TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC
DRIVERS OF HIV AND AIDS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA ........................... 9
TOPIC 3: AFRICAN UNION SHIFT FROM OAU AND DECOLONIAL
REFORMS FOR CONTINENTAL GOVERNANCE ...................................... 16
© Study Shack 2026. All rights Reserved +27 81 278 3372
, TOPIC 1: FACTORS DRIVING FROM MULTIPARTY SYSTEMS TO VARIOUS
FORMS OF AUTHORITARIANISM IN AFRICA UNTIL THE 1970S.
1. Introduction
This research proposal focuses on why many African states moved from multiparty
politics to one party systems, military rule, and personal dictatorships between the
1960s and the 1970s. The study links this political shift to the wider impacts of
decolonisation, especially the way colonial rule shaped state structures, economies,
and political culture after independence (Manson 2010; Cooper 2002). The proposal
uses Topic 1 from Study Unit 2 and follows the required structure. It investigates how
weak institutions, economic dependence, patronage politics, and Cold War
pressures contributed to authoritarian rule, and it proposes decolonial solutions that
can strengthen democracy and accountability in postcolonial African governance
(Nugent 2004; Arnold 2005).
1.1 Historical background
Decolonisation created new states with strong expectations of freedom and
development. Many independence movements had broad support, and multiparty
elections were held in several countries at the start of independence (Hargreaves
1988). Yet, within a short time, political competition became tense and sometimes
violent. Some leaders argued that opposition parties threatened unity and
development, so they restricted political freedoms and moved toward one party rule
(Nugent 2004). In other cases, the military removed civilian governments, claiming
that it was restoring order or ending corruption, but military governments often
became more repressive and centralised than the governments they replaced
(Arnold 2005). These changes happened while African economies remained tied to
export systems created during colonial rule, and while international actors used
African states as strategic allies during the Cold War (Cooper 2002).
1.2 Rationale for the study
The study is academically important because it helps explain a key pattern in
modern African history: the early decline of democratic experiments after
independence and the rapid growth of authoritarian rule (Legum 1999; Nugent
© Study Shack 2026. All rights Reserved +27 81 278 3372
