HSY3701
Assignment 1 Proposal Semester 1 2026
Unique number:
Due Date: March 2026
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+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 ........................... 8
TOPIC 3: AFRICAN UNION SHIFT FROM OAU AND DECOLONIAL
REFORMS FOR CONTINENTAL GOVERNANCE ...................................... 15
Varsity Cube 2026 +27 81 278 3372
, TOPIC 1: FACTORS DRIVING FROM MULTIPARTY SYSTEMS TO VARIOUS
FORMS OF AUTHORITARIANISM IN AFRICA UNTIL THE 1970S.
1. Introduction
The end of colonial rule across Africa created high expectations of democracy, unity
and development. Yet, by the 1970s many new states shifted from multiparty
competition to one party systems, military rule, or personal dictatorships. This
proposal investigates why that shift happened and what decolonial solutions might
address the underlying drivers of authoritarianism. It focuses on weak postcolonial
institutions, the growth of patronage and personal rule, economic dependency, and
the way Cold War politics shaped internal power struggles (Nugent 2004). The study
adopts a desktop research approach and uses comparative examples from different
regions to show how similar pressures produced different forms of authoritarian
outcomes.
1.1 Historical background
Colonial administrations were designed for extraction, control and limited political
participation. They centralised authority, relied on coercive policing, and often
governed through intermediaries who were accountable upward rather than to local
communities (Shillington 1995). At independence, African leaders inherited state
structures that were not built to manage democratic pluralism, competitive elections,
or strong checks and balances. Borders often grouped diverse communities into
single political units, which intensified struggles over belonging, access to land, and
control of state resources (Shillington 1995). The nationalist era also produced mass
parties and liberation movements that sometimes equated unity with single party
dominance, making opposition appear illegitimate or unpatriotic (Nugent 2004).
1.2 Rationale for the study
Academically, the topic is important because it explains a key political turning point in
modern African history and helps clarify why postcolonial governance took
authoritarian paths in many contexts. It also supports the module theme of African
politics in the age of independence by linking political change to economic and
international forces (Manson 2010). At a broader level, the study is relevant because
Varsity Cube 2026 +27 81 278 3372
Assignment 1 Proposal Semester 1 2026
Unique number:
Due Date: March 2026
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+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 ........................... 8
TOPIC 3: AFRICAN UNION SHIFT FROM OAU AND DECOLONIAL
REFORMS FOR CONTINENTAL GOVERNANCE ...................................... 15
Varsity Cube 2026 +27 81 278 3372
, TOPIC 1: FACTORS DRIVING FROM MULTIPARTY SYSTEMS TO VARIOUS
FORMS OF AUTHORITARIANISM IN AFRICA UNTIL THE 1970S.
1. Introduction
The end of colonial rule across Africa created high expectations of democracy, unity
and development. Yet, by the 1970s many new states shifted from multiparty
competition to one party systems, military rule, or personal dictatorships. This
proposal investigates why that shift happened and what decolonial solutions might
address the underlying drivers of authoritarianism. It focuses on weak postcolonial
institutions, the growth of patronage and personal rule, economic dependency, and
the way Cold War politics shaped internal power struggles (Nugent 2004). The study
adopts a desktop research approach and uses comparative examples from different
regions to show how similar pressures produced different forms of authoritarian
outcomes.
1.1 Historical background
Colonial administrations were designed for extraction, control and limited political
participation. They centralised authority, relied on coercive policing, and often
governed through intermediaries who were accountable upward rather than to local
communities (Shillington 1995). At independence, African leaders inherited state
structures that were not built to manage democratic pluralism, competitive elections,
or strong checks and balances. Borders often grouped diverse communities into
single political units, which intensified struggles over belonging, access to land, and
control of state resources (Shillington 1995). The nationalist era also produced mass
parties and liberation movements that sometimes equated unity with single party
dominance, making opposition appear illegitimate or unpatriotic (Nugent 2004).
1.2 Rationale for the study
Academically, the topic is important because it explains a key political turning point in
modern African history and helps clarify why postcolonial governance took
authoritarian paths in many contexts. It also supports the module theme of African
politics in the age of independence by linking political change to economic and
international forces (Manson 2010). At a broader level, the study is relevant because
Varsity Cube 2026 +27 81 278 3372
