Nevertheless, community power and wealth has come
to be divided into two major divisions: the rich and powerful few
and the poor and powerless majority. Though the elite ruled and
the masses served, rights and obligations which limited the
amount of exploitation were always in existence.
One of the signs of the trend toward the increasing centralization
of power within the society of West Africa was the development of
a professional army. The gigantic armies of Ghana had been
conscripted from the common citizenry. As the ruling class in West
Africa adopted Islam and as its desire to increase its power
continued to undermine local tradition and custom, there was more
need for a professional army which would owe its total allegiance
to the ruler.
Also, changes in military technology required a skilled and
carefully trained army. Horses were expensive and could only be
used efficiently by men who were expert riders and who knew how
use a horse in a combat situation. Even more, with the arrival the
Europeans in the fifteenth century, West Africa was introduced to
guns and gunpowder.
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