Topic 8.5 Decolonization After 1900
Thematic Focus - Governance (GOV)
A variety of internal and external factors contribute to state formation, expansion, and decline. Governments maintain order through a variety of administrative institutions, policies, and procedures, and governments obtain, retain, and exercise power in different ways and for different purposes.
Learning Objective
Compare the processes by which various peoples pursued independence after 1900.
Historical Developments
Nationalist leaders and parties in Asia and Africa sought varying degrees of autonomy within or independence from imperial rule.
Nationalist leaders and parties
- Indian National Congress
- Ho Chi Minh in French Indochina (Vietnam)
- Kwame Nkrumah in British Gold Coast (Ghana)
- Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt
After the end of World War II, some colonies negotiated their independence, while others achieved independence through armed struggle.
Negotiated independence:
- India from the British Empire
- The Gold Coast from the British Empire
- French West Africa
Independence through armed struggle:
- Algeria from the French empire
- Angola from the Portuguese empire
- Vietnam from the French empire
Regional, religious, and ethnic movements challenged colonial rule and inherited imperial boundaries. Some of these movements advocated for autonomy.
Regional, religious, and ethnic movements:
- Muslim League in British India
- Québécois separatist movement in Canada
- Biafra secessionist movement in Nigeria