Burbank and Cooper, pp. 413-442

Chapter 13: End of Empire?

This chapter explores the mid-20th century decolonization wave, focusing on how empires unraveled, how independence movements succeeded or struggled, and how new postcolonial states navigated sovereignty. It highlights continuities in imperial practices even after formal empire ended.

1. The Global Retreat of Empire

• Post–World War II period saw the rapid collapse of European colonial empires, largely due to:

  • Weakened metropoles (Britain, France, the Netherlands) after the war.

  • Rise of anti-colonial nationalism.

  • Pressure from new superpowers (U.S. and USSR) who were ideologically opposed to colonialism.

• Many newly independent states retained imperial borders, institutions, and elites.

2. Decolonization in Africa and Asia

• India and Pakistan gained independence in 1947, setting a precedent.

• Indonesia (1949), Vietnam (1954), and many African nations in the 1960s followed.

• Despite the rhetoric of freedom, many new governments:

  • Retained centralized authority similar to imperial rule.

  • Faced ethnic and regional tensions due to inherited boundaries.

  • Continued to rely on foreign capital and technical aid.

3. The French and British Approaches

• Britain generally opted for negotiated transitions (e.g., Ghana, India), though violence erupted in Kenya (Mau Mau Rebellion).

• France often responded with military force:

  • Brutal wars in Algeria (1954–1962) and Vietnam (First Indochina War, 1946–1954).

  • Created a Franco-African community, maintaining influence after formal decolonization.

4. Imperial Persistence Through Institutions

• Even after independence, international institutions (IMF, World Bank, UN) were shaped by former imperial powers.

• The Cold War provided new frameworks for global influence:

  • U.S. and USSR often supported client states.

  • Development policies mirrored imperial modernization goals.

• Former empires retained cultural and economic ties (e.g., Commonwealth, Francophonie).

5. Settler Colonialism and Incomplete Decolonization

• In places like South Africa, Israel-Palestine, and Rhodesia, settler populations resisted majority rule.

• Apartheid in South Africa (until 1994) reflected ongoing imperial racial hierarchies.

• Palestinian statelessness and Zionist state-building mirrored colonial patterns of land acquisition and displacement.

6. Imperial Legacies and Nation-State Challenges

• Postcolonial states inherited bureaucratic structures and centralized authority.

• Many new states faced:

  • Civil wars (e.g., Nigeria, Sudan).

  • Authoritarian rule (justified by the need for order and development).

  • Continued economic dependency.

• These outcomes highlight the ambiguous nature of decolonization—empire ended formally but persisted structurally.

7. Rethinking “End of Empire”

• The term "end of empire" is misleading:

  • Empires were reconfigured into new forms of global power.

  • The language of national sovereignty coexisted with informal empire via economic and military influence.

• Empire did not simply vanish—it mutated into development regimes, military alliances, and neocolonial structures.

Conclusion

• The mid-20th century saw a political transformation, not a clean break from imperialism.

• Imperial repertoires—centralized control, hierarchical inclusion, and differentiated rule—remained influential.

• Understanding these continuities is crucial to analyzing postcolonial challenges and global inequality today.