Was Mau Mau a war for land and freedom?

Essay from the year 2007 in the subject History - Africa, grade: 2,7, University of Sheffield, course: Decolonisation: Britains‘s retreat from empire, language: English, abstract: The Mau Mau rebellion in its causes and effects can hardly be made intelligible with a straightforward line of reasoning; in fact it seems to be more reasonable to apply a multicausal approach in order to consider all relevant aspects. It is extensively assumed that Mau Mau was first of all a movement to fight the economic deprivation of the Kikuyu people; however it cannot be examined irrespectively of the development of African nationalism and the particular inner conflicts of this peasant rebellion. I will therefore try to take into consideration the different attempts to explain this singular phenomenon, stretching from the economic background to social determining factors and the actual outcome of the revolt. Furthermore, I will examine the relevant factors that prevented the movement to gain wider support and recognition.