Colonisation & DecolonisationThe end of empires and creation of a political vacuum

Fact: Migration happensSince the dawn of time people have moved from place to place in the world to improve their lives.

Complete the ‘Journey of Mankind’ activityhttp://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey/

What is/was colonisation?Colonisation is where the bigger and more powerful countries and empires use their ships and guns to sail the world and take land from native peoples. See Australia, 1788.

Who were the great empires?There were many but particularly the western European powers of: Britain Spain Portugal Netherlands Italy

For more detail: http://www.the-map-as-history.com/maps/10-age_of_discovery.php

What were the benefits? Natural resources Spreading religion Homes for the poor

and unwanted Trading ports Slaves

http://www.the-map-as-history.com/maps/10-age_of_discovery.php

Who suffered most?The native peoples of the lands that were colonised suffered greatly from: Loss of land Loss of culture Loss of religion Diseases Alcohol Lack of power

Why did WW2 lead to de-colonisation?

Prior to WW1 some of the empires, such as the Spanish, had declined after losing battles with other empires.

By the end of WW1 empires declined further with the Ottoman ceasing to exit. By the end of WW2 the British and French empires were weakened.

Throughout the world, the enlightenment ideas had led to revolutions and a growth in democracy throughout the world.

Another factor was that, having assisted the empires in fighting the Nazis, the people and nations of these colonies demanded greater freedoms.

Some chose to be federations under the guidance of the monarchies (e.g. Australia), while others (e.g. India) demanded independence and freedom.

http://www.the-map-as-history.com/maps/11decolonization_independence.php

Sounds great, what’s the problem? Having gained

independence the next choice was what to do with it.

The US and USSR both claimed to have no direct intention of ‘colonising’ the war-torn countries but simply offered a choice, capitalism or communism.

They then went about ensuring that the choices made were the right ones!

Decolonization and Postwar Settlements

Post-Surrender Terms for JapanCondition of Japan following war:

Japan was devastated. All the cities (except Kyoto), the industries, and

transportation networks were severely damaged. A severe shortage of food continued for several

years. Inflation– the cost of living rose by 10 percent

each month for about two years.

Occupation of Japan (August 1945 - April 1952)

The entire operation was mainly carried out by the United States.

General Douglass MacArthur was named the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP).

The Japanese people cooperated willingly with the occupation authorities.

The chief objective of SCAP were demilitarization and democratization.

Occupation of Japan (August 1945 - April 1952)

Demilitarization The remains of Japan’s war machine were destroyed. Japan basically lost all the territory seized after

1894. Eventually able to maintain “self-defense” forces.

Occupation of Japan (August 1945 - April 1952)

Democratization Economic reforms Effort to eliminate big business conglomerates;

independent companies such as Honda, Toyota, and Sony emerged.

Land reform program to achieve a more equitable distribution of wealth.

Occupation of Japan (August 1945 - April 1952)Efforts to remove militaristic and ultra-

nationalistic influences from schools.Suspended the teaching of Japanese

history and geography until new textbooks could be written.

Encouraged students to think (no rote learning).

Reorganized school system after U.S. pattern.

Occupation of Japan (August 1945 - April 1952)

Political reforms Eliminate the power of the emperor (figurehead);

announce that he was not divine; peerage eliminated. Make the executive power of the government

responsible to the people or the representatives. Establish a legislative body that would be directly

responsible to all adult citizens (universal suffrage). Develop democratically controlled political parties. Eliminate ties between the government and Shinto

shrines. Adoption of a new constitution and bill of rights.

Peace Treaty U.S. policy changed from keeping Japan from

reemerging as a military power to rebuilding its economy and transforming it into an important part in the anti-Communist bloc.

On the same day that the peace treaty was signed, a mutual security pact was signed between Japan and the U.S. It provided for continued U.S. military presence to protect it from communism.

Okinawa was to remain under U.S. occupation (1972); retaining rights to military bases.

Ratified October 1951; went into effect April 1952.

Decolonization As it became apparent that the Europe-centered

world was no more, anti-colonial nationalism surged after 1945.

The process of decolonization followed three broad patterns: Civil war (China) Negotiated independence (Indian subcontinent and

much of Africa) Incomplete decolonization (Algeria and South

Africa)

Civil War in China Communist movement in China grew as poverty and

civil unrest spread. Rise of Mao Tse-tung (Communist) Party membership swelled from a mere 40,000 in

1937 to over a million in 1945. After Japan surrendered to end World War II, the civil

war between the Nationalists and the Communists resumed.

U.S. supports Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalists Never fully recovered from its demoralizing defeat

at the hands of the Japanese. (Lost popular support)

Corrupt and inefficient government.

Civil War in China Faced with

Communist victory, the Nationalist leaders escaped and set up a rival Chinese state on the island of Formosa (Taiwan) in 1949.

Negotiated Independence in India and Africa

In India and much of colonial Africa, independence came with little bloodshed. The British withdrew after WWII.

Pakistan and India gained independence in August, 1947. Problems in India between Hindu majority and

Muslim minority.Gandhi shot dead by a Hindu zealot in 1948.India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru

was committed to the goal of state-directed modernization.

Decolonization in Africa and Asia after World War II

Negotiated Independence in India and Africa

Within a decade and a half of Indian independence, most of the African states also gained their sovereignty. In 1957, the Gold Coast (renamed Ghana) became

tropical Africa’s first independent state. By 1963 all of British-ruled Africa except for

Southern Rhodesia was independent. In each of these colonial possessions, charismatic

nationalist leaders took charge of populist political parties and became the leaders to whom the British turned over power.

Decolonization in Africa and Asia after World War II

Decolonization in Africa and Asia after World War II

Negotiated Independence in India and Africa

Decolonization in much of French-ruled Africa followed a similarly smooth path, though the French were initially more resistant than the British.

At first, treated decolonization as assimilation. France dissolved its political ties with French West

Africa and French Equatorial Africa in 1960, having already given the protectorates in Morocco and Tunisia their independence in 1956.

Incomplete Decolonization: Algeria and South Africa

The presence of sizeable European settler populations complicated the path from colony to nation. Algeria: 1 million Europeans French leaders claimed that Algeria was an

integral part of metropolitan France. The colons constituted a minority to the 9 million

indigenous Arabs and Berber peoples. South Africa: 4 million Europeans Minority white rule (Afrikaners) persisted.

Incomplete Decolonization: Algeria and South Africa

The Algerian War of Independence The war dragged on for eight years (1954-1962), at

a cost of as many as 300,000 lives. At home, French society was torn apart. The negotiations to end the war began only after an

insurrection led by colons and army officers had caused the French Fourth Republic to fall in 1958 and brought Charles de Gaulle to power.

By 1962, more than 9/10ths of the European population had departed.

Incomplete Decolonization: Algeria and South Africa

After winning the elections of 1948, the Afrikaner-dominated National Party in South Africa enacted an extreme form of racial segregation known as apartheid.

Apartheid laws stripped Africans, Indians, and colored persons (mixed descent) of their few political rights.

Schools segregated; country divided into racial “homelands”

The African National Congress opposed this legislation.After the Sharpeville massacre of 1960, peaceful protest turned into violent protest.

Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison in 1962.

The West (U.S.) supported South Africa as a bulwark against the spread of communism in Africa.