Verandah boys versus reactionary lawyers: nationalist activism in Ghana, 1946-1956

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Periodical article

Title:	Verandah boys versus reactionary lawyers: nationalist activism in Ghana, 1946-1956
Author:	Bob-Milliar, George M.
Year:	2014
Periodical:	International Journal of African Historical Studies (ISSN 0361-7882)
Volume:	47
Issue:	2
Pages:	287-318
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Ghana
Subjects:	political action political participation elections nationalism political parties 1940-1949 1950-1959
Abstract:	The paper analyses political party activism in the pre-independence period in Ghana. The objective is to present an understanding of the culture of party activism in the 1950s. The type of political activism discussed in this article was of two kinds: micro- and macro-level activism, and rural and urban activism. The emphasis in the paper is on micro-level political behaviour. The paper begins with a survey of political activities leading up to the inauguration of the UGCC (United Gold Coast Convention), and later of the CPP (Convention People's Party). The next section discusses political parties, activists, particularly at the grassroots level, and their modes of engagement as evidenced in the three general elections. Special emphasis is put on activists and their organizational strategies. By detailing the two main parties's activities, the author concludes that the CCP leadership managed to understand political organization far better than its competitors and was therefore much more successful in mobilizing grassroots support. Notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract]