Decolonization Notes

Alllies were aware of self-determination for all peoples of the world.
World War II destroyed the power of European states.
Great Britain lacked the energy and wealth to maintain its colonial empire.
Between 1947 and 1962, most all colonies achieved independence.
Some colonial powers relinquished control willingly, while others were driven out by wars of liberation.

The UN proclaimed the necessity of ending colonialism due to:

Denial of fundamental human rights.
The right to self-determination for all people to determine political status and pursue economic, social, and cultural goals.
The prevention of international economic cooperation.
Impeding social, culture, and economic development.
Militates against the United Nations ideal of universal peace.

In 1946, the United States granted independence to the Philippines.
Britain followed suit with India, but ethnic and religious differences caused violence.
The British negotiated with the Indian National Congress (mostly Hindu) and the Muslim League.
British India was divided with one Hindu (India) and one Muslim (Pakistan), with Pakistan split into two regions.
On August 15, 1947, India and Pakistan became independent.
Millions of Hindus and Muslims fled across the borders, leading to violence resulting in over a million deaths.
1930: Mahatma Gandhi led the "Salt March" to harvest salt, defying the British Raj's monopoly.
- This act was part of Gandhi's non-violent struggle called "satyagraha."
- Gandhi was arrested for this demonstration.

The INC demanded freedom and the rights to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
They saw the British government as having deprived the Indian people of freedom and based itself on the exploitation of the masses.
They aimed to sever the British connection and attain Purna Swaraj: complete independence.
The INC planned to gain freedom through non-violence, civil disobedience, and non-payment of taxes.

Churchill argued against independence for India.
He believed that abandoning India to the Brahmins would be cruel and negligent.
He said that the Brahmins deny rights to 60 million of their own people, calling them "untouchable".

After World War II, the Indochinese Communist Party (led by Ho Chi Minh) formed the Vietminh Front and seized power in northern and central Vietnam.
War broke out in December 1946 when negotiations between Ho’s government and the French collapsed.
The United States and China intervened in the 1950s; China supported the Vietminh, and the United States supported the French.
At the Geneva Conference in 1954, the French agreed to a peace settlement with the Vietminh.
Vietnam was temporarily divided into Communist North (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and non-Communist South (Republic of Vietnam).
Elections were scheduled to create a unified government.

Ho Chi Minh referenced the US Declaration of Independence and French Revolution.
French imperialists had violated their Fatherland and oppressed their fellow-citizens.
The Vietnamese people were determined to fight against French colonialists.
He expressed belief that Allied nations would acknowledge the independence of Vietnam, based on the principles of self-determination and equality.

Gamal Abdel Nasser was influenced by British influence in Egypt.
He joined the military and Free Officers Movement to end British colonial influence and overthrow the monarchy.
In 1952, the Free Officers Movement executed a coup d'état, and by 1954, Nasser became the Prime Minister and later the President of Egypt.
Nasser implemented agrarian reform, redistributing land to landless peasants.
His government was criticized for political repression and a lack of democratic freedoms.
In 1956, Nasser’s government nationalized the Suez Canal, previously controlled by British and French interests
This action led to the Suez Crisis, with military intervention from Britain, France, and Israel.
International pressure forced the invading forces to withdraw, boosting Nasser's reputation.
Nasser aimed to unify the Arab world, forming the United Arab Republic (UAR) with Syria in 1958.
Egypt became influential in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
The Six-Day War in 1967 was a blow to Nasser, although he continued to lead until his death in 1970.

Europeans realized colonial rule in Africa would end after World War II.
Political organizations became formal parties with independence as their goal.
Kwame Nkrumah created the Convention People’s Party in the Gold Coast.
Jomo Kenyatta founded the Kenya African National Union.
These political activities were primarily nonviolent.
The Mau Mau movement in Kenya used terrorism to demand freedom from the British.
Most black African nations gained independence in the late 1950s and 1960s.
The Gold Coast was renamed Ghana in 1957 under Kwame Nkrumah.
Nigeria, the Belgian Congo (Zaire), Kenya, and Tanganyika (Tanzania) soon followed.

Expressed the sweeping fervor for freedom and colonial emancipation.
Africans and Asians were rebelling against being hewers of wood and drawers of water.

Swore to fight for the land and freedom of their country until their last drop of blood.
Vowed to sell land to any white man, and if they did, may the soil be a curse upon me.