Editing Ghana (section)

===Transition to independence===
{{see also|Dominion of Ghana|Ghana Independence Act 1957}}
{{Multiple images
| image1 = Ghana Independence overprint on Gold Coast 1s stamp 1957.jpg
| caption1 = A Gold Coast postage stamp overprinted for Ghanaian independence in 1957
| image2 = Ghana (1957-03-07 A New Nation).ogg|thumbtime=0:55
| caption2 = Celebrations marking Ghana's independence on 6 March 1957
| direction = vertical
}}
In 1947, the newly formed [[United Gold Coast Convention]] led by [[The Big Six (Ghana)|"The Big Six"]] called for "self-government within the shortest possible time" following the [[1946 Gold Coast general election|1946 Gold Coast legislative election]].<ref name="History of Ghana"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Gocking, Roger |title=The History of Ghana |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofghana00gock |url-access=registration |year=2005 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-31894-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofghana00gock/page/92 92]– |access-date=27 June 2015}}</ref> [[Kwame Nkrumah]], a Ghanaian nationalist who led Ghana from 1957 to 1966 as the country's first [[Prime Minister of Ghana|prime minister]] and [[President of Ghana|president]], formed the [[Convention People's Party]] in 1949 with the motto "self-government now".<ref name="History of Ghana"/> The party initiated a "positive action" campaign involving non-violent protests, strikes and non-cooperation with the British authorities. Nkrumah was arrested and sentenced to one year imprisonment during this time. In the Gold Coast's [[1951 Gold Coast general election|1951 general election]], he was elected to Parliament and was released from prison.<ref name="History of Ghana"/> He became prime minister in 1952 and began a policy of Africanization.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

At midnight on 6 March 1957, the Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and [[British Togoland]] were unified as one single independent dominion within the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] under the name Ghana. This was done under the [[Ghana Independence Act 1957]]. The current [[flag of Ghana]], consisting of the colours red, gold, green, and a black star, dates back to this unification.<ref name="Ghana flag and description">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/africa/ghana.htm |title=Ghana flag and description |publisher=worldatlas.com |access-date=24 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224131743/http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/africa/ghana.htm |archive-date=24 December 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 1 July 1960, following the [[1960 Ghanaian constitutional referendum|Ghanaian constitutional referendum]] and [[1960 Ghanaian presidential election|Ghanaian presidential election]], Nkrumah declared Ghana a republic and assumed the presidency.<ref name="Universal Newsreel"/><ref name="First For Sub-Saharan Africa"/><ref name="Exploring Africa – Decolonization" /><ref name="History of Ghana"/> 6 March is the nation's [[Independence Day (Ghana)|Independence Day]], and 1 July is celebrated as [[Republic Day]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.africa.com/5-things-know-ghana-independence-day/ |title=5 Things To Know About Ghana's Independence Day |website=Africa.com |access-date=10 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710225301/https://www.africa.com/5-things-know-ghana-independence-day/ |archive-date=10 July 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/What-is-Republic-Day-in-Ghana-615882 |title=What is Republic Day in Ghana? |last=Oquaye |first=Mike |date=10 January 2018 |website=GhanaWeb |access-date=29 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629211559/https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/What-is-Republic-Day-in-Ghana-615882 |archive-date=29 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Nkrumah led an [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]] regime in Ghana, as he repressed political opposition and conducted elections that were not free and fair.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mazrui |first=Ali |author-link=Ali Mazrui|date=1966 |title=Nkrumah: The Leninist Czar |journal=[[Transition (magazine)|Transition]] |issue=26 |pages=9–17 |doi=10.2307/2934320 |jstor=2934320 |issn=0041-1191}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kilson |first=Martin L. |date=1963 |title=Authoritarian and Single-Party Tendencies in African Politics |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/world-politics/article/abs/authoritarian-and-singleparty-tendencies-in-african-politics/C06E363B216E1DC2324E77AABDE4FE40 |journal=World Politics |language=en |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=262–294 |doi=10.2307/2009376 |jstor=2009376 |s2cid=154624186 |issn=1086-3338 |access-date=6 January 2023 |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201210711/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/world-politics/article/abs/authoritarian-and-singleparty-tendencies-in-african-politics/C06E363B216E1DC2324E77AABDE4FE40 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bretton |first=Henry L. |date=1958 |title=Current Political Thought and Practice in Ghana* |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/current-political-thought-and-practice-in-ghana/01D51435240B4DD2FFCDF67F554FA682 |journal=American Political Science Review |language=en |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=46–63 |doi=10.2307/1953012 |jstor=1953012 |s2cid=145766298 |issn=1537-5943 |access-date=6 January 2023 |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201201816/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/current-political-thought-and-practice-in-ghana/01D51435240B4DD2FFCDF67F554FA682 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah: visionary, authoritarian ruler and national hero |url=https://www.dw.com/en/ghanas-kwame-nkrumah-visionary-authoritarian-ruler-and-national-hero/a-19070359|first=Hilke|last=Fischer |website=Deutsche Welle |language=en-GB |access-date=6 January 2023 |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201182454/https://www.dw.com/en/ghanas-kwame-nkrumah-visionary-authoritarian-ruler-and-national-hero/a-19070359 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1964-05-03 |title=Portrait of Nkrumah as Dictator |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/03/archives/portrait-of-nkrumah-as-dictator.html |access-date=2022-02-19 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201205439/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/03/archives/portrait-of-nkrumah-as-dictator.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1964, a [[1964 Ghanaian constitutional referendum|constitutional amendment]] made Ghana a [[one-party state]], with Nkrumah as [[president for life]] of both the nation and its party.<ref>{{Citation |title=VII. The Reluctant Nation |date=1964-12-31 |work=One-Party Government in the Ivory Coast |pages=219–249 |place=Princeton |publisher=Princeton University Press |doi=10.1515/9781400876563-012 |isbn=978-1-4008-7656-3 }}</ref> Nkrumah was the first African head of state to promote the concept of [[Pan-Africanism]], which he had been introduced to during his studies at [[Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)|Lincoln University]], Pennsylvania in the United States, at the time when [[Marcus Garvey]] was known for his "Back to Africa Movement".<ref name="History of Ghana" /> He merged the teachings of Garvey, [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and the naturalised Ghanaian scholar [[W. E. B. Du Bois]] into the formation of 1960s Ghana.<ref name="History of Ghana" /> Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as he became known, played an instrumental part in the founding of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]], and in establishing the [[Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute]] to teach his ideologies of [[communism]] and [[socialism]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Atta-Boakye|first=Ken |title=Of Nkrumah's Political Ideologies: Communism, Socialism, Nkrumaism |work=GhanaWeb |url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=110817 |publisher=Ghana Web |date=20 September 2006 |access-date=9 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725015602/http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=110817 |archive-date=25 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> His life achievements were recognised by Ghanaians during his centenary birthday celebration, and the day was instituted as a [[Public holidays in Ghana|public holiday in Ghana]] ([[Founders' Day (Ghana)|Founders' Day]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Founders' day to be placed on Ghana's Holiday Calendar|url=http://www.modernghana.com/news/419363/1/founders-day-to-be-placed-on-ghanas-holiday-calend.html |publisher=Modern Ghana |date=22 September 2012 |access-date=9 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925093111/http://www.modernghana.com/news/419363/1/founders-day-to-be-placed-on-ghanas-holiday-calend.html |archive-date=25 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>