Having become leader of the new nation, Nyerere, in 1961, made an appeal for national unity, but he was conscious that he was likely to face opposition from the following groups or sectors:
• The tribes: there were 130 separate tribes in Tanganyika. Their chiefs were disturbed that Nyerere, as a Zanaki tribe member himself, had warned that tribal interests would have to take second place to the needs of the new nation.
• Europeans: who were worried that as a minority their former privileged position would be undermined.
• The trade unions: composed predominantly of indigenous Tanganyikans, they were concerned that Nyerere's promise of a non-racial approach implied a threat to their bargaining powers as a majority group.
• The army: which was essentially British in its structure and the majority of its officers were British. There were fears among the non-British personnel that, if Nyerere abandoned the system of allocating promotions to ethnic groups, their chances of rising up the ranks would be limited.
• The other political parties: who were disturbed by the stranglehold that the monolithic TANU appeared to have established over the governmental system.
• Writers and journalists: who feared that artistic and press freedoms were at risk. They were perturbed by rumours that Nyerere would demand that in the interest of national unity the media must be non-critical and deferential towards him and the government.
World History
