On 26 April Karume announced that a union had been negotiated with Tanganyika to form the new country of Tanzania. The merger was seen by contemporary media as a means of preventing communist subversion of Zanzibar; at least one historian states that it may have been an attempt by Karume, a moderate socialist, to limit the influence of the radically left-wing Umma Party.
On 26 April Karume declared a union agreement with Tanganyika to create the new nation of Tanzania. The amalgamation was perceived by contemporary media as a strategy to prevent communist subversion in Zanzibar; at least one historian suggests it might have been an effort by Karume, a moderate socialist, to curb the influence of the radical Umma Party.