Because African states had no foundation to rest their new government on after colonial administrators left. In the Americas there were a powerful group of creoles and settlers who stayed in power after the European officials and soldiers withdrew. India, Egypt, and China had pre-European systems of administration and civil services, and these took over when the Europeans left. In most of Africa, however, there was no creole class and the rudimentary administrative structure that had already existed was swept away by colonization. Without a base of power for the new indigenous governments to function with, authority devolved to local organizations like tribes and clans. The white settler class in Rhodesia and South Africa tried to gain power itself (like in the Americas), but they were too outnumbered by the indigenous population, and by the 20th century nationalism had become a more potent worldwide force. Both were forced to hand power over to native governments that had the problems mentioned above.