A review by howdyhoward
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney

3.5

I found this to be rather dry as a history text but I learned so much. Rodney's theory that all societies develop through the same stages (communalism > feudalism > capitalism > socialism) is very compelling, especially as he took time to detail ways that multiple African societies had developed from communalism to feudalism without European intervention. It's interesting that he views socialism as the highest form of societal development, especially as there were major socialist nations at the time this was written (mainly USSR). Having this broader picture of Africa's history I think will be invaluable to me going forward in my learnings.