TANU

TANU, or Tanganyika African National Union, was a major political party in Tanganyika (the mainland part of modern Tanzania) that played a central role in the country’s struggle for independence and its early post-colonial governance. It later became the dominant party in the united Tanzania and remained influential in the country's politics for decades.

The party was founded in 1954 by Julius Nyerere and other Tanganyikan nationalists as an umbrella organization for anti-colonial activism and political organization. TANU sought nonviolent means to achieve independence and to promote social and political reforms across Tanganyika, building organizational networks, youth leagues, and mass participation.

After Tanganyika gained independence in 1961 and became a republic in 1962, TANU led the governing framework. In 1964, Tanganyika united with the island of Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania. In the late 1960s TANU promoted socialist ideas through the Arusha Declaration of 1967, which articulated Ujamaa, a program of African socialism emphasizing self-reliance, communal development, and state-led modernization. The policy era faced economic challenges, and reforms began in the 1980s and early 1990s, moving toward liberalization and multiparty politics.

In 1977, TANU merged with Zanzibar’s Afro-Shirazi Party to form Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), and TANU as a separate party effectively ceased to exist. CCM subsequently became the dominant ruling party in Tanzania, continuing into the 21st century. TANU’s legacy is closely tied to Tanzania’s independence movement, early post-independence policy, and the political evolution that culminated in the modern party system.