The failure of socialism to cater for freedom: a philosophical study of Kwame Nkuruma

Abstract

This thesis is a philosophical study of Kwam.e Nkrumah's Social-political theory. The study examines Nkrumah’s opinion that socialism could retrieve African freedom which had been taken away by colonialism and neo-colonialism. The study opens with the Introductory Chapter which includes the background to the study, the statement of the problem of study, hypothesis, reasons for the study, literature review and the methodology used. Chapter Two, is devoted to the exposition of Nkrumah's life background as well as his dependence on Marx and his followers and other personalities for the development of his own social-political theory. In Chapter Three, I examine Nkrumah’s opinion that colonialism eroded African peoples' freedom. To a great extent, I agree with Nkrumah that colonialism eroded the freedom of the African, colonial people. According to Nkrumah, a philosophy and an ideology would serve as a means of regaining the freedom which was lost through colonialism. In Chapter Four, therefore, I examine this opinion. The conclusion reached is that whereas philosophy and ideology are good instruments of freedom, they could as veil hinder the attainment of freedom. Nkrumah believed that freedom would be realised only when socialism had been estabJished. In order to discuss this view7 adequately, Chapter Five involves the analysis of the assumptions as given by Margtj*^ Cole, vis - a - vis the freedom of Africa. The conclusion reached is that socialism, too, cannot guarantee freedom. (vi) Nkrumah justified his choice of socialism for Africa by two main arguments. In the first argument, Nkrumah deduced historical ioaterialism from a metaphysical approach to the universe. In other words, for Nkrumah, dialectical materialism implies socialism. In the second argument, Nkrumah contended that postindependent Africa should adopt socialism as a social-political system because traditional Africa was communitarian. In Chapter Six, we examine these two arguments and the conclusion reached is that both are unsound. Finally, the general conclusion is that socialism guarantee freedom in the world in general and Africa in particular.