Africa's people and culture have been subject to many external changes that left a trace in the way they think and act nowadays. Conquests, colonization, the slave trade, Arabic and European cultural elements, Islam and Christianity and recently the spread of consumerist society have all transformed Africa for more than 500 years. However, colonization obstructed the internal process of state formation and the development in Africa and left scars of corruption and political instability in its government. Colonial leaders and countries obstructed policies and laws to further deprive certain colonies of its resources. The process of African colonies gaining their independence resulted in human resources. European colonialism evolved benefitted from African markets they had created yet contained the African population. The end result of Imperialism/ colonialism had a negative effect on every aspect of African society.
As early as September 1914 Britain forced a rebellion from some 12,000 of it's own colonies troops (africasacountry.com). When war broke out in Europe in 1914 at the start of World War 1, British and French troops prepared to seize Germany's colonies in Africa." It was supposed to be the 'war to end all wars' and yet by the proxy of colonial empires, it created war where no one cared for, it dragging 2 million Africans into the conflict (www.washingtonpost.com). Fighting was particularly brutal in German East Africa where they adopted guerilla warfare tactics. The East African Campaign was a series of battles and guerilla actions, which stated in German East Africa in WW1 (www.dw.de). The most impressive monument for African victims of WW1 was in France at the battle of Delville, the South African infantry brigade sustained heavy casualties and resulted in British victory (www.washingtonpost.com). In WW1 Afrikaners who went to proclaim freedom from British colonial powers, some even joined forces with the Germans (africasacountry.