Loss of lives

The struggle was not peaceful. Within a few weeks, thousands of people lost their lives. This was a bloody revolution that targeted Arabs for the suffering they caused on Africans before the revolution.

Displacement

Many Arabs were displaced from their settlements and became refugees in Tanzania and other areas within the country. Other people were completely expelled from Zanzibar. Some Arabs survived on prostitution, beggary and charity.

Property destruction

The revolutionary fought furiously and destroyed or confiscated the shops, motor vehicles, bicycles, farms and homes owned by Arabs and Asians. The destruction also affected government offices and property.

Peace and freedom

The dictatorial Arab dominated government was overthrown. The leader of the Zanzibar National Party (ZNP) Ali Mushin together with Prime Minister Shamte were deposed and ASP controlled Zanzibar.

Revolutionary government

John Okello and his associates hurried to form a revolutionary council. This was made up of Babu of Umma party and Abeid Karume, leader of ASP among others. Okello gave Zanzibar a new name –Peoples Republic of Zanzibar. They came up with a new constitution for the country.

Okello’s deportation

After a short time, misunderstandings emerged between Okello and other members of the revolutionary council. He was arrested and detained in all the three East African countries. Three reasons explain why Okello was arrested. One, he was a Uganda not a native of Zanzibar. Two, he was more popular than they were. Three, he was a Christian and his opponents were Moslems.

Monarchy ended

The monarchy was destroyed and the Sultan Seyyid Jamshid bin Abdullah fled to Britain together with his family for political asylum.

Employment

Posts in government and private sector which were previously held by Arabs and Asians were opened to Africans. The wages of the lowest paid workers were increased.

Political instability

The revolution created unrest and political instability that sent the ASP leader, Sheikh Abeid Karume to seek police assistance from Tanzania to restore law and order.

Socialism

Zanzibar adopted socialism due to the influence of Tanzania and established good relations with Communist countries such as East Germany, China and USSR.

Tanganyika -Zanzibar Union

The revolution laid a foundation for union of Zanzibar and Tanganyika, which formed Tanzania with Nyerere as the overall president, and Sheikh Abeid Karume became the 1st deputy president.

Party merging

As a result of this union, the TANU and ASP parties merged. This led to the formation of TANU party which later became Chama Cha Mapinduzi –Party of Revolution in 1972.

Single party

Some political parties dominated by Arabs such as ZNP and ZPPP were banned. Martial law was imposed in Zanzibar many people were detained in prisons. ASP was the only party to belong to.

Nationalization of Land

Land was nationalized and redistributed to the landless peasants. Poor people got the opportunity to own land for the first time.

Swahili Language

Swahili rather than English was adopted as a national language. This was an aspect real independence from colonial attachments.

Single parliament

There was the formation of a single parliament at Dar-es-Salaam. The people of Zanzibar had to send representatives to their parliament in Tanzania although some people did not like that arrangement.

Army Mutinies

Army rebellions erupted in Tanganyika and Uganda after the successful Zanzibar revolution. In Tanzania army officers created a lot of tension that forced Nyerere to go into hiding for sometime. British forces were acquired to put the situation under control. They were dismissed and a new army was recruited. In Uganda, army men arrested the minister of defence Felix Onama at Jinja. Foreign forces were brought to arrest the trouble causers. Failure by Obote to administer discipline on the army created conditions favourable for a coup that removed him from power in 1971.