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By now, we know that World War I had a big impact on Africa. [WW1 collides with Africa]

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But here’s a new, not-so-fun fact: politics in Africa actually helped cause the war.

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Though, again… it wasn’t Africans that sparked it all; they were just along for Europe’s [People riding a rollercoaster]

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Wild Ride.

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Hope they got a fast pass…

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See, the British were pretty neurotic about their precious little Suez Canal.

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They freaked out whenever anyone got near it, like a dog with its favorite chew toy. [Dog with a bone and man holding stop sign]

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By locking down colonial control over Libya and Ethiopia, Italy was getting near it in

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a big way.

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The British were one missed teatime from declaring war and taking Italian East Africa for themselves. [British man drinking tea]

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And Italy's fascist leaders knew it.

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Italy knew it needed some allies to back it up.

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When they invaded Ethiopia, Germany was the only other nation that had their backs. [Italy running and Germany standing behind them]

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So in late 1935, Italy and Germany became BFFs.

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We bet they even traded creepy friendship bracelets.

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This alliance was a major reason that Germany felt confident enough to attack Poland in [Germany points gun at Poland]

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1939, starting World War II.

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After the war began, Africa became super important.

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France and Belgium had been invaded and conquered.

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Hm... wonder if that made them feel bad about the African lands they’d invaded and conquered…

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Yeah, right.

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What happened instead was the formation of the Free French and Free Belgian forces.

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While officially headquartered in London, they sucked most of their resources and manpower [Man uses vacuum on resources]

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from African colonies.

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Between 65 and 90 percent of these supposedly Free Forces were actually conscripts, who

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were forced to fight.

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So really they should’ve been called the…Free If You’re White Forces. [Man holding up cup]

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But…that doesn’t have the same ring to it.

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French, Belgium, and British forces teamed up to resist fascist expansion in Africa.

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It was like The Avengers…well, if the Avengers forced other heroes to go fight aliens and [Hulk and Captain America appear and man shoots villains]

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evil robots.

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It’s not too hard to understand why Africans had to be forced to fight. [African soldiers firing guns]

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One of the Allies, Belgium, had recently committed the worst genocide in African history.

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Even the comparatively kinder and gentler Britain and France operated governments that

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oppressed, starved, and exploited their own people.

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“Fight for your overlord”…didn't make for a great recruitment slogan. [African people look at advertisement board]

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That said, it isn’t true that every single African who fought in World War II was totally

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forced to do it.

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Italy's conquest of Ethiopia was like going up to every Pan-Africanist in the world and

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punching them right in the kidneys. [Italy punching Africa]

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So…many Africans were looking for some payback.

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To keep up morale, the British, French, and Belgians told African soldiers that they were

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important and valuable citizens of their empires. [French, British and Belgian man in meeting with African soldier]

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Many African soldiers, even those forced to fight, started to believe in the dream that,

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through military service, they could be seen as able citizens who deserved basic rights.

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But after the Allies won, this dream got popped like a… sad birthday balloon.

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For one, their contributions to the war effort were completely ignored. [Africa firing a rifle]

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And…surprise surprise...the ones who made it home were once again treated horribly by

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the British, French, and Belgian colonial regimes. [French, Belgian and English men mistreating Africa]

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The colonial response?

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They laughed it off, doing the 1940s equivalent of texting…

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…U MAD BRO?

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