Decolonization Notes

A settler colony is characterized by people from the colonizer's country migrating to and residing in the colony. Examples include Algeria and South Africa.

Violent rebellion in Kenya employing guerrilla warfare, kidnapping, murder, and destruction to oppose British colonial rule.

The Kenya African Union advocated for nonviolent resistance through negotiation, boycotts, and hunger strikes.
- Jomo Kenyatta: Leader of the KAU.
Cash Crops: Kenya was a British settler colony dependent on cash crops.
Oath of Loyalty: People were required to take an oath to demonstrate their loyalty to the Mau Mau.
Land Value: Land was considered a highly valued commodity and integral to the people's identity.
Resistance: Due to its status as a settler colony, Kenya faced greater resistance to nonviolent protests.
British Response: The British responded to the Mau Mau rebellion with military force and detention camps.
Post-Independence:
- Kenyatta was released and became president.
- Kenya achieved a stable economy but experienced government corruption.
- Kenya exports agricultural goods like coffee, tea, and flowers to Great Britain.
- Great Britain supplies Kenya with machinery and vehicles.

The National Liberation Front (FLN) formed by Algerians sought independence through armed struggle.

The took place in Algiers, where the FLN engaged in urban attacks, met with violent responses from the French military.

France controlled Algeria since 1830.
Algeria was a settler colony; the settlers were known as pieds-noirs.
Post-WWII, the Algerian Muslim population desired greater self-rule.
The Algerian War commenced on November 1, 1954, following FLN attacks on French military and civilians.
The FLN utilized guerrilla warfare against civilians, the French military, and Algerians collaborating with France.
The FLN transitioned into Algeria's sole ruling party.
Many French citizens considered Algeria an integral part of France, akin to Paris.

Portugal initially controlled Indonesia in the 16th century for the spice trade.
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) arrived and accumulated wealth from sugar, rubber, nutmeg, coffee, tobacco, tea, and cloves.
Indonesia was not strictly a settler colony, but many Dutch individuals resided there to manage farms.

The Dutch framed their colonial rule as a "civilizing mission."
Dutch Cultivation System: 20% of all land was designated for growing cash crops, which led to famine.
Crops were supplied to the Dutch at low prices, and locals paid taxes in crops.
The Dutch profited significantly from cash crops, fostering the development of the Netherlands.
Exploitation of the Indonesian people involved long working hours with minimal pay.
The 20% land allocation for cash crops resulted in widespread famine and malnutrition.
Nationalist leaders faced repression, and Indonesians were subjected to violence.

Sukarno: A nationalist leader advocating for complete independence.
Japanese Occupation: Japan invaded during WWII and empowered Indonesian leaders more than the Dutch had.
Post-WWII Independence: Sukarno declared independence after Japan's defeat, but the Dutch sought to reclaim their colony.
The Dutch managed to control cities but not the countryside.
Indonesians employed violence against Europeans, and the Dutch military retaliated.
The U.S. threatened to withdraw support from the Netherlands if they persisted in fighting the Indonesians.

Before WWI, Syria was under the Ottoman Empire's control.
Post-WWI, the Ottoman Empire was divided into European mandates and the independent nation of Turkey.
Sykes-Picot Agreement: The British and French agreed to partition the Ottoman Empire into mandates to cultivate independent nations.
Syria became a French mandate.

A widespread, violent uprising against French rule, resulting in the French bombing of Damascus.
The revolution encompassed both peaceful and violent actions.

India was a British settler colony.
Following the Sepoy Rebellion, the British government assumed direct control of India from the British East India Company.
2 million Indians enlisted in the British army during WWII with promises of self-rule, which were not fulfilled afterward.

Amritsar Massacre:
- Hindus and Muslims engaged in peaceful protests and the British opened fire, killing 400 and injuring 1200.
- This event galvanized Indians across religious lines to seek complete independence.
Mohandas Gandhi: Studied law in London and advocated for Indians in South Africa.

A meeting of 29 African and Asian countries that wanted to stay neutral from the Cold War and avoid further colonization.