ABSTRACT
Upon graduation in 1952, Nyerere returned to Tanganyika, where he immediately joined the independence movement. Nyerere was appointed the new nation's first prime minister, only to resign several weeks later for reasons that he never made clear. Nyerere died of leukemia on October 14, 1999, in London. As president, Nyerere united more than 120 tribes into a cohesive nation-state whose citizens identify themselves first as Tanzanians. Although Nyerere established Tanzania as a one-party state during his presidency, he also encouraged a broad-based party membership, fielding more than one candidate in parliamentary elections. Furthermore, Nyerere, unlike his counterparts in many other African states, left office willingly, allowing a peaceful transfer of power to his successor rather than establishing a dictatorship. A key figure in the Pan-African movement and a founder of the Organization of African Unity, Nyerere offered vital support to black majority movements in the white-dominated southern African states.
