Question

Difficulty: MediumPan-Africanism and Garveyism

Read the following excerpt from W.E.B. Du Bois's editorial "Marcus Garvey," published in *The Crisis* in December 1920:

'It is a monument to the work of a man who has a great, sweet, and simple idea. [...] He wants to enter into a commercial enterprise, which will build up a great merchant marine owned by Negroes and manned by Negroes [...] and he wants to coordinate this commercial enterprise with a political program which will result in the building up of a Black nation in Africa. [...] But is this program practical? [...] It is not practical because it is based on a series of colossal financial errors, and because it is based on a misunderstanding of the attitude of the white world toward the yellow and brown and black worlds.'

Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of early twentieth-century movements, which of the following statements best describes the core ideological or strategic difference between W.E.B. Du Bois's approach to Pan-Africanism and Marcus Garvey's Garveyism?

  1. A
    Du Bois focused on establishing global commercial shipping routes like the Black Star Line to foster economic independence, while Garvey organized diplomatic congresses to petition European nations for civil rights.
  2. B
    Du Bois argued that all African societies possessed identical, monolithic cultures that should be ruled by a single centralized government, while Garvey believed that Africa was too culturally diverse to support any political organization.
  3. Du Bois favored international diplomacy, intellectual collaboration, and lobbying colonial powers for reform, while Garvey advocated for working-class populist mobilization, economic self-reliance, and the establishment of a separate, sovereign Black nation.Answer
  4. D
    Both Du Bois and Garvey rejected the concept of racial solidarity, arguing instead that people of African descent should prioritize assimilation into their respective European and American cultures.

Answer

The correct option is the one stating that Du Bois favored international diplomacy, intellectual collaboration, and lobbying colonial powers for reform, while Garvey advocated for working-class populist mobilization, economic self-reliance, and the establishment of a separate, sovereign Black nation.
The correct answer accurately identifies that W.E.B. Du Bois's Pan-Africanism was characterized by intellectual organizing, international lobbying, and seeking reforms within existing colonial structures, whereas Marcus Garvey's Garveyism mobilized working-class communities through the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) to build independent economic institutions and a sovereign state in Africa.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze W.E.B. Du Bois's critique of Marcus Garvey's program in the provided excerpt.
Du Bois expresses skepticism about the financial feasibility of Garvey's merchant marine (the Black Star Line) and the political realism of establishing a independent African state under colonial opposition.
Understanding the primary source's focus on the tension between Du Bois's and Garvey's approaches is critical for identifying their differences.
2
Contrast W.E.B. Du Bois's strategy of Pan-Africanism with Marcus Garvey's Garveyism.
Du Bois organized elite-led international congresses that petitioned Western governments for self-determination and civil rights, whereas Garvey built a mass-membership, working-class organization (UNIA) dedicated to economic self-determination and complete physical separation.
This historical context allows for a clear comparison of the two distinct paths toward liberation proposed by each leader.
3
Evaluate the choices to locate the one that accurately describes this strategic divergence.
The option highlighting Du Bois's diplomacy and reform vs. Garvey's populist nationalism and economic separatism is identified as correct.
This option correctly describes the core distinction without reversing their roles or misrepresenting their commitment to racial solidarity.

Key Concept

The ideological and strategic differences between W.E.B. Du Bois's Pan-Africanism and Marcus Garvey's Garveyism.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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