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Episode details

World Service,11 Dec 1998,29 mins

Why Didn’t America Colonise Africa?

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Available for over a year

Anti-colonial and self-sufficient, the US chose not to join the European scramble for Africa. Professor Richard Rathbone from the University of London reveals how America has used alternative methods to extend its influence over African states. Also on the programme, how do lasers work – and how are they being used to advance medicine?

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