Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: Julius Nyerere's one-party democracy, prolonged over three decades in independent Tanzania, succeeded in unifying an ethnically diverse population and making Tanzania a relatively stable African state by emphasizing nationalist ideals.Affected by the one-partyism and Nyerere's respected rule, Tanzania has maintained a single-party dominated state without plural representation and has generally enjoyed social and political unity even after the transition to the multi-party system.This unity is due in large measure to the success of Nyerere's original nationalist ideals, in which the people find no need to differentiate their political and economic interests but appreciate egalitarian value.Based on my qualitative research and textual analysisrelying on secondary sources, public opinion polls, and profiles provided by election monitoring institutions on democratization in post-Nyerere Tanzania -it appears that this one-party dominated democracy will continue to promote Nyerere's nationalism and will keep gaining legitimacy at least in the short term.However, to advance the cause of democracy, Tanzania needs to gradually open its political system to be responsive to various demands.
Author: Eun Kyung Kim
Institution: Ohio University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2600030792