WI: A United Africa

I was thinking about the MCU and then an idea sprung up, what if Wakanda conquered all of Africa? Then I asked myself what would have happened in the real world, the consequences of that happening.

Let’s say that during the first millennium various African tribes stared to conquer large swathes of territory, little by little and decade by decade they expanded until everything was under the control of a single tribe. What consequences would this have on the history? The slave trade? The colonization period?
 
I was thinking about the MCU and then an idea sprung up, what if Wakanda conquered all of Africa? Then I asked myself what would have happened in the real world, the consequences of that happening.

Let’s say that during the first millennium various African tribes stared to conquer large swathes of territory, little by little and decade by decade they expanded until everything was under the control of a single tribe. What consequences would this have on the history? The slave trade? The colonization period?

ASB, full stop. Nobody with 1st millennium CE technology could have any hope of conquering and holding, to say nothing of maintaining effective governance over, that amount of space over that inhospitable of a terrain.
 
Maybe we could have one African city state emerge around 1500-1600 and rapidly develop through trade with Europe, while investing most of their profits into infrastructure and literacy. Play Europeans off against each other, implement new agriculture, slowly expand between 1600-1800. Have a centralized state with several hundred thousand miles worth of land under their control, 5% literacy, ten million or so people, the ability to produce small arms in small quantities, and a few major trade routes.

From 1800-1850 they more than double their land through conquests and have a million square miles by 1850 and 30 million people. Give them the ability to mobilize several hundred thousand men with guns, even if outdated. That in unison with disease makes them very difficult to actually conquer. They continue focusing on long term investments and allow trade with Europeans.

From 1850-1900 they conquer another million square miles and control over 2 million square miles. 60 million+ people by 1900, 10% literacy, several major rail roads built, and a handful of factories.

From 1900-1950 they join two world war equivalents, going on the winning side, and seize another million square miles of land to control around 30% of the continent. Literacy rises to around 20% while the population is around 120 million with a GDP per capita of $1200 current USD. The 50s and 60s end up very prosperous with huge increases in income levels, literacy, and life expectancy. By 1970 this country had a GDP per capita of around $2500 current USD, 50% literacy, and a life expectancy of 60.

Independence movements idolize this hypothetical country. In the late 50s it’s leaders for whatever reason create an open border free trade union with a defensive military alliance for anyone who joins. It requires just a few rules about industries and assets that cannot be nationalized, agreements to protect property.

In the 60s newly independent countries begin joining left and right. Countries that do tend to see upticks in growth, while those that don’t tend to do poorly. 80% of Africa has pledged to join by 1990, with a majority of it in. Huge gaps emerge between early members and those who haven’t joined by that point. More standards for long term members, like offering universal grade school education, are enacted. By 2000 the last of the continent joins.

A shared budget and taxing power is implemented in 2000. In 2005, schooling is made compulsory and paid for by the African Union from the K-6 level. Rail and highway connecting every part of the continent are complete in the early 2000s.

Due to issues maintaining stability, protecting property, lives, and trade routes, and responding to disasters, a unified military is decreed in 2003. By 2008, it has ensured order everywhere on the continent. By 2015, it continues to grow beyond the original idea and surpasses all national militaries combined, with many national militaries being disbanded altogether.

By 2015, parts of the continent lose their Developing status and reach High Income. Most of the worst poverty is gone by 2015, and no longer covered by foreign aid. A common currency is established in 2016. Nationalization of private industry has to be approved by the national government and compensated as of 2016.







This wildly unrealistic scenario might be the best we can do. Not technically one country, but probably the closest Africa can get given its size, disease, and isolation.
 
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Not any chances. Africa is too diversed and large that it could be ruled by one tribe. One tribe/small nation conquering whole gigantic continent is totally ASB. Even any colonial power can't do that. It is even miracle that OTL post-colonial countries have managed kept themselves together instead total balkanisation.
 

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That's like trying to unite all of Europe, and then multiplying the hostile ethnic groups by 10
 
I can see a Swahili Central Africa taking eastern DRC to Northern Madagascar.

It's actually rather OTL but consolidating power to make use of the Forest Elephant ivory, slave and gold trade is a viable option to me.

I had an atl that was going way back, further back to have an Equatorial and miombo dominated cultural sphere that centers Pygmy populations but they could never dominate the grasslands away from riverine spaces.
 
Seriously, the easiest way to have all Africa under one rule is to have BritWank, where Britain controls all of Africa, as well as much of Asia, etc.

As others have pointed out, a native nation doing it is wildly improbable, at least without a VERY early PoD.

An Aksum wank might possibly do it.
An Egyptian wank might.
In any case, trying to control a continent is bad enough. But one that has a great chunk of tropical rainforest with tropical diseases smack in the middle makes it much, much tougher.

I suppose that, with different colonialization you MIGHT get the equivalent of OTL's AU to be more like the EU, or maybe even the Zollverein. But either of those would require a lot better infrastructure in African nations at independence.
 
Some European colonial power colonises the entire continent, with wars in Europe allowing them to take over rival colonies (either through conquest or through purchase like was proposed OTL with Portugal's colonial empire). Different decolonisation causes all of Africa to become independent as one country and somehow remain united.

There's only one way to achieve this without invoking massive ASB intervention: turning Ancient Egypt into an expansionist civilization much sooner than in OTL.

How are they going to cross the Sudd to their far south and the Sahara to their southwest? How are they going to deal with malaria and other tropical diseases? How are they going to deal with rulers at the fringes breaking off?
 
How are they going to cross the Sudd to their far south and the Sahara to their southwest? How are they going to deal with malaria and other tropical diseases? How are they going to deal with rulers at the fringes breaking off?

I honestly haven't worked out the details just yet, Ancient Egypt was just the one country who lasted long enough it could have truly unified the continent if it had wanted to.
 
I honestly haven't worked out the details just yet, Ancient Egypt was just the one country who lasted long enough it could have truly unified the continent if it had wanted to.

But you can't call Ancient Egypt one country which existed for thousands of years anymore than you can call China one country which existed for thousands of years. The same logic would hold that the Republic of Italy is the same country as the Roman Kingdom.
 
I think that there are Axis Victory scenarios in which the British and French possessions in Africa are united and conquer/pacify/annex the rest of the continent to thwart an Axis takeover.
 
But you can't call Ancient Egypt one country which existed for thousands of years anymore than you can call China one country which existed for thousands of years. The same logic would hold that the Republic of Italy is the same country as the Roman Kingdom.

All I was trying to say is that it'd have had the time to expand without overextending itself.
 
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