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Rise of Asia and Africa
The post-Second World War era witnessed the rise of many Asian and African nations as independent states.
This wave of independence was largely the result of the determined struggles led by the peoples of the colonies. However, the shifting global climate after the war also played a significant role in supporting these movements.
A key international factor that accelerated the decline of imperialism was the rise of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries as influential global powers. These nations were strongly opposed to imperialism and often extended support and assistance to colonial freedom movements.
Additionally, platforms like the United Nations began to actively champion the cause of decolonization, with growing international support for the independence of colonized nations
Emergence of Independent Nations in Asia
• Within a few years of the Second World War, a significant number of Asian nations gained independence. Among the first was India, which, although achieving freedom, was partitioned into two separate states: India and Pakistan, both emerging as independent nations.
• Burma, later renamed Myanmar, attained its independence from Britain just a few months after India's liberation.
• Following Japan's defeat, Sukarno, a leading figure in Indonesia’s struggle for freedom, declared the country's independence. However, shortly after, British troops arrived to assist the Dutch in reclaiming their colonial control. In response, Sukarno’s newly formed independent government strongly resisted the reimposition of colonial rule.
• After gaining independence, India organized a conference of Asian nations to express support for Indonesia’s freedom struggle. This conference was held in New Delhi in January 1949 and strongly called for Indonesia’s complete independence.
• The determined resistance of the Indonesian people, along with growing international pressure and support from Asian countries, forced the Dutch to release Indonesia’s leaders. On 2 November 1949, the Netherlands officially recognized Indonesia’s independence.
Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) gained independence in February 1948, just a few months after India became free.
Thailand, which had been occupied by Japan during the war, regained its independence following Japan’s defeat.
In 1946, the United States agreed to grant independence to the Philippines.
In Malaya, British rule was restored after the war, but the country achieved independence in 1957 and is now known as Malaysia.
On 1 October 1949, the People’s Republic of China was officially established, with the Communist Party of China under Mao Zedong taking control of the government.
The Struggle in Vietnam
• One of the most courageous struggles for freedom was led by the people of Vietnam.
• Vietnam, along with Laos and Cambodia, formed Indo- China, which had been colonized by France. After France surrendered to Germany during World War II, much of Indo-China fell under Japanese occupation.
• Ho Chi Minh emerged as the most prominent leader of the Vietnamese people.
• Under Ho Chi Minh’s leadership, the Vietnamese resisted Japanese control and formed a national liberation army known as the Viet Minh.
• In August 1945, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was declared, with Ho Chi Minh as its President.
• However, British and Chinese troops under Chiang Kai-shek entered Vietnam under the pretense of overseeing the surrender of Japanese forces.
• In October 1945, French troops also arrived with the intent of reestablishing colonial rule. By 1946, the French army began a military campaign against the Viet Minh. The conflict between the Viet Minh and French forces lasted for eight years. In 1954, the Viet Minh achieved a decisive victory over the French at the fortress of Dien Bien Phu.
• In July 1954, an international conference was held in Geneva, where it was decided to temporarily divide Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
• Cambodia and Laos, the other two nations of Indo- China, were granted independence.
• This partition marked the beginning of a new phase in Vietnam’s struggle for complete freedom.
• The government established in South Vietnam, backed by the United States, refused to follow the Geneva Conference’s decisions regarding national elections and the unification of the country. Over time, it was increasingly seen as being under American influence.
• In the early 1960s, uprisings erupted in South Vietnam against the ruling regime. This led to large-scale military involvement by the United States.
• American forces extended the war into North Vietnam. The conflict caused widespread destruction and the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives across the country.
• In early 1975, the war reached a turning point. The combined forces of North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam launched a major offensive, defeating the American-backed South Vietnamese government forces. Although U.S. troops had begun withdrawing in 1973, it was in 1976 that North and South Vietnam were officially reunified as a single nation
Developments in West Asia and North Africa
Syria and Lebanon Become Independent
• After the war, France attempted to reestablish its control
over Syria and Lebanon. However, strong resistance from the local populations, along with growing international pressure, forced the French to withdraw. By the end of 1946, both Syria and Lebanon had gained their independence.
Libya Gains Independence
• During World War II, some of the fiercest battles between German and British forces took place in Libya.
• After the war ended, Libya was occupied by Britain and France.
• In 1951, Libya achieved independence and established a
monarchy as its form of government.
The State of Israel
• Palestine came under British mandate in 1919, and British troops reoccupied the region in 1945.
• The land was home to both Arabs and Jews. The Zionist movement claimed that Palestine was the ancestral homeland of all Jews, regardless of where they were living, and sought to restore it to them.
• The British authorities in Palestine allowed some Jews from outside the region to settle there. Meanwhile, the Zionists were actively campaigning for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. This complicated the freedom movement, as the majority of the population
were Arabs.
In 1947, the United Nations passed a resolution to divide Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states.
In 1948, the British withdrew their forces from Palestine, and shortly thereafter, the state of Israel was declared. This triggered a war between Israel and the neighboring Arab states.
The Arab states were defeated in the conflict, and the creation of Israel became a source of ongoing tension in West Asia.
The policies of the Israeli government intensified the bitterness, leading to approximately 900,000 Arabs being displaced from their homes and lands in Palestine, rendering them refugees.
In 1956, Israel joined Britain and France in invading Egypt. Subsequent wars between Israel and the Arab states resulted in Israel occupying large portions of territories belonging to other Arab nations.
These territories include the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank.
In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was established to advocate for the creation of a Palestinian state.
Later, an agreement was reached between Israel and the PLO. Under this agreement, the PLO recognized the state of Israel, and Israel agreed to grant Palestinians limited autonomy in certain areas currently under Israeli control.
Revolution in Egypt
After World War I, Egypt became a British mandate. However, due to growing nationalist pressure, Egypt was declared independent in 1922, although British troops continued to be stationed there.
Following World War II, calls for the withdrawal of British forces intensified.
Dissatisfaction also grew against the Egyptian king, who had been placed on the throne by the British.
This unrest culminated in a revolution in 1952, when the Egyptian army, led by Lieutenant Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser and General Muhammad Naguib, overthrew the monarchy and declared Egypt a republic.
The new government demanded the removal of British troops, who finally withdrew in June 1956.
Freedom Struggle in Algeria
As in Indo-China, the French returned to Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. However, in 1956 Tunisia and Morocco won their independence.
Algeria, a North African country, endured one of the longest and most difficult struggles for independence.
• France had begun its conquest of Algeria as early as 1830, but it took nearly four decades for France to fully establish control over the territory.
After World War II
• In 1954, the Algerian nationalist group known as the FLN (National Liberation Front) launched a call for armed resistance against French rule.
• On July 1, 1962, a referendum was held in Algeria, and the people voted almost unanimously in favor of independence.
• Algeria officially became an independent republic on July 4, 1962.
Achievement of Freedom by African Nations
• After World War II, the collapse of colonial rule in Africa began.
• Countries in southern Africa started gaining independence from the mid-1950s onward. Within two decades, nearly all African nations, except South Africa and South-West Africa (now Namibia), had achieved independence.
• Ghana was the first country in West Africa to gain independence. The British had previously controlled this region, known as the Gold Coast. On March 6, 1957, the newly independent nation adopted the name Ghana.
• The part of Togoland under British control also became part of Ghana.
• The next country to gain independence was Guinea, a former French colony in West Africa.
• The year 1960 is widely recognized as the “Year of Africa,” as seventeen African countries gained independence that year.
• These included all the French colonies in French West Africa and Equatorial Africa, as well as Nigeria and Congo (formerly the Belgian Congo, now known as Zaire).
• Between 1961 and 1964, several countries in East and Central Africa also became independent.
• ->These included Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, Zanzibar, Nyasaland, Northern Rhodesia, Rwanda, and Burundi. Additionally, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Lesotho (formerly Basutoland), and Botswana(formerly Bechuanaland) gained independenceduring this period.
• By 1975, all former Portuguese colonies in Africa had become independent. The last African country to gain independence was Namibia