As a result of colonial powers realizing the immorality of colonization as well as African countries’ drive for freedom and independence, 47 African countries gained independence between 1957 and 1990. These countries fought for their independence wither individually or as a part of the Pan-African movement and following their independence, they all had to navigate governing themselves and finding a system that works for their country. One of these countries was Tanzania. Before its independence in 1961, the country that is now Tanzania was split between the two nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Tanzania’s independence is largely credited to former President Julius Nyerere and his drive towards independence and work done from the inside. Nyerere’s work in unifying the nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar and push toward Tanzania’s independence helped shape the country into what it is and how it works today.  

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        President Julius Nyerere was one of the biggest players in Tanganyika independence. He supported the nation from the inside and used peaceful strategies to achieve independence. He was an anti-colonial activist and was influenced by the leader of Indian independence, Mahatma Gandhi. He preached non-violent protest to achieve his goals. Many leaders of the Pan-African movement also were influenced by the peaceful teachings and lifestyle of Gandhi (Palmer 75). In July of 1954, Julius Nyerere formed the Tanganyika African National Union and became its first president. Through TANU, he campaigned for Tanganyika independence from the British Empire, achieved independence in December of 1961, and was elected Prime Minister. Following this now independence, Tanganyika became a member of the United Nations (Britannica). 

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        While all these changes were taking place, Nyerere was also working behind the scenes on the structure of the Tanganyika government. In December of 1962 Tanganyika became a republic and Julius Nyerere was elected as the first president. His administration pursued decolonization and the “Africanization” of the civil service while promoting unity between indigenous Africans and the country’s Asian and European minorities. Nyerere encouraged the formation of a one-party state and (unsuccessfully) attempted to pursue the Pan-Africanist formation with other African States (Britannica). The Pan-African movement started as a drive by freed slaves of African descent to return to Africa and to help establish it as an independent country where they could govern themselves (Palmer, 74). Nyerere’s unsuccessful attempt to join this movement may have been a result of him taking on too much change during an unstable time in the government of his country.  

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        As Prime Minister of Tanganyika, Julius Nyerere also played a large role in the unification of the mainland country of Tanganyika to the island nation of Zanzibar. The nation of Zanzibar became independent in December of 1963 shortly after becoming a member of the United Nations. In 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to become the country of Tanzania with Julius Nyerere as president. Following the unification of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, Nyerere placed an even larger emphasis on national self-reliance and socialism. This system was similar in some ways to the system of Mao Zedong’s Marxist-governed China (Britannica). This is also similar to the one-party system that many other African countries adopted after their independence; “by the end of the 1970’s the transition to the one-party system was complete” (Palmer, 104).  

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        Despite Nyerere’s inability to join in the Pan-African movement and his questionable governing policies, he played one of the most important roles in Tanzanian unification and independence from colonizing powers. He is held in deep respect within Tanzania and has been describes as the “Father of the Nation.” Despite the controversy surrounding him, Nyerere gained respect as an anti-colonialist and due to the fact that the work he did while in power helped Tanzania remained stable and unified for decades following its unification and independence (Britannica).