Zanzibar Revolution
Zanzibar was an ethnically diverse state consisting of a number of islands off the east coast of Tanganyika which had been granted independence by Britain in 1963. In a series of parliamentary elections preceding independence, the Arab minority succeeded in retaining the hold on power. Frustrated by under-representation in Parliament, the mainly African Afro-Shirazi Party allied itself with the left-wing Umma Party. Around 600–800 revolutionaries on the main island of Unguja overthrew the Sultan and his government. The revolution ended 200 years of Arab dominance and is commemorated on the Island each year with anniversary celebrations and a public holiday.
About Zanzibar Revolution in brief
Zanzibar was an ethnically diverse state consisting of a number of islands off the east coast of Tanganyika which had been granted independence by Britain in 1963. In a series of parliamentary elections preceding independence, the Arab minority succeeded in retaining the hold on power. Frustrated by under-representation in Parliament, the mainly African Afro-Shirazi Party allied itself with the left-wing Umma Party. Early in the morning of 12 January 1964, around 600–800 revolutionaries on the main island of Unguja overthrew the Sultan and his government. Reprisals against Arab and South Asian civilians on the island followed; the resulting death toll is disputed, with estimates ranging from several hundred to 20,000. The moderate ASP leader Abeid Karume became the country’s new president and head of state, and positions of power were granted to Umma party members. The new government’s apparent communist ties concerned Western governments, but the feared communist government never materialised. The revolution ended 200 years of Arab dominance and is commemorated on the Island each year with anniversary celebrations and a public holiday. The island is now part of the Southeast African republic of Tanzania, and was once a protectorate of the British Empire. It comprises the main southern island. of UngUja, the smaller northern island of Pemba, and numerous surrounding islets. It was an overseas territory of Oman until it achieved independence in 1858 under its own Sultanate.
In 1890 during Ali ibn Sa’id’s reign, Zanzibor became a British protectorate, and although never formally under direct rule was considered part of Britain. By 1964, the country was a constitutional monarchy ruled by Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah. The major political parties were organised largely along ethnic lines, with Arabs dominating the Zantzibar Nationalist Party and Africans the AfroShiraz Party. The ZNP looked towards Egypt as its model, which caused some tensions with the British colonial officials, but Zonzibar had been for centuries dominated by its Arab elite. To maintain control, the government banned the more radical opposition parties, filled the civil service with its own appointees, and politicised the police. In 1961, 68 deaths resulted in a repeat of the election, with the number of parliamentary seats increased to 31. In 1963, the ASP, despite receiving the most votes, won just 10 seats, resulting in civil disorder and 68 deaths. In 1964, the ASP succeeded in negotiating a merger of Zanzabar with Tanganyik to form the new nation of Tanzania. The Zantzabar People’s Party (ZNP) won 22 seats in the parliament, so further elections were held in June 1963 with the ZNP entering into a coalition with Zanzbar and Pememba’s People’s People Party (Pemba) The party won 13 seats, and this time took control of the parliamentary seats, while the ASP took 13 seats.
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This page is based on the article Zanzibar Revolution published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 04, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
