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WHAT HAPPENED IN GHANA?      DU BOIS

ary school. Then, he went off to America. He had no money, but he managed to work his way through Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. After taking the master's degree, he went to London, found more work and took courses at the London School of Economics. Then followed some travel in Europe. Nkrumah returned home filled with ideas, all of them fusing into one burning purpose-to free his country from British rule!
 Meanwhile, the colonial masters felt quite safe from any political upheaval which might threaten their profits from the Gold Coast. They contemplated that in due time the reins of government would be handed over to the Gold Coast elite, whose social status and “superior intellectual qualifications” equipped them for the exercise of political power.
 It was therefore a distinct shock when in the 1949-51 struggle for political power, the newly organized Convention People's Party, under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah, won the election and took office under a constitution which gave the colony internal self-government. It was a shock from which certain of the bourgeoisie have never recovered.
 Independence was celebrated March 6, 1957 when the name “Gold Coast” was discarded and the country took the name of an ancient West African kingdom-Ghana. The Republic of Ghana came into being July 1, 1960 and Kwame Nkrumah was inaugurated first President of the Republic.
 With a strong Constitution uniting the country, the Convention People's Party (CPP) now moved forward to lay the foundations of a socialist economy, to curb exploitation by foreign capitalists and reduce dependence on foreign investments, to hasten industrialization and to expand and improve free public education at all levels. To clarify understanding about its socialist program, train activists and future officials, the Government established at Winneba an Institute of Ideological Studies. Here such objects as Economics, History and Political Science were taught from a socialist viewpoint and research was undertaken into the application of Socialism to Ghanaian conditions. Teachers were invited and came from Socialist countries. These, together with the African scholars, made up an articulate socialist-oriented intelligentsia. It was made clear, however, that socialism was an intellectual concept, a goal towards which the young must be directed, a way of life to be taught, not a dogma to be imposed on the people of Ghana.

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