Geo-Political Strategy
 

Nkrumah's theories on geo-political economy shifted during the period under review.  His first published analysis on the political and economic situation facing Africa is found in Towards Colonial Freedom (1973c), published originally in 1962 but written between 1942 and 1945.  Its main concern was the analysis of colonialism's effect on the people of Africa.  Years of experience 'on the ground' as the head of government business, Prime Minister, and then President of the First Republic made Nkrumah well versed in the maturation of colonialism's modified approach.  This approach gave rise to his articulation of the concept 'Neo-colonialism.'  Nkrumah expounds upon this theoretically in his text titled, Neo-colonialism: The last stage of imperialism (1965) and practically in his work titled, Challenge of the Congo (1967a).  In fact, the theme of neo-colonialism remains consistent in his works from 1963 onward. 
 

So pervasive was the phenomenon that it changed Nkrumah's tactical recommendation, which was originally non-violent 'Positive Action,' best described in his 1949 speech titled, "What I Mean by Positive Action" (1973c).  The mechanisms of neo-colonialism and Nkrumah's work with the African Liberation Movement (ALM) made him move closer to the position that armed struggle was inevitable for the successful prosecution of the African revolution.  This position became cemented after the military coup in Ghana deposed him. Nkrumah's hardened position is reflected in his later works, Handbook of Revolutionary Warfare: a guide to the armed phase of the African revolution (1969b) and Class struggle in Africa (1970b).