Decolonization and Its Aftermath in the Second Half of the 20th Century

Overview

• Decolonization led to the creation of ~80 new states
• Colonial boundaries drawn by Imperial Powers often didn't benefit the colonized people
• Post-independence states either kept old boundaries or drew new ones, often leading to violence

Partition of India (1947)

• Example of negotiated independence
• Independence did not come through armed conflict, but post-independence saw significant violence
• Britain and Gandhi wanted a united India, but the Muslim League pushed for a separate state
• Outcome: Partition into India (Hindu majority) and Pakistan (Muslim majority)
• Massive migration: Muslims to the North, Hindus to the South
• Result: 12 million people migrated, 500,000+ deaths
• Ongoing conflict in Kashmir:
  • Muslim majority in Kashmir
  • Pakistan assumed it would join them, but the Hindu ruler complicated matters
  • India claimed Kashmir, Pakistan launched attacks
  • UN called for a vote that never happened; ongoing conflict includes China

Creation of Israel (1948)

• Before WWI: Palestine part of the Ottoman Empire (Muslim majority)
• Post-WWI: Palestine under British mandate
• Growth of Zionism: Jews desired a state in their ancestral land
• Large Jewish migrations before and after WWI, increased during WWII
• British promise (Balfour Declaration) and Holocaust persecution facilitated migration
• UN partitioned Palestine: Two states, one for Jews and one for Arab Muslims
• Jews accepted the plan, Arabs did not, leading to immediate conflict
• Ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict ensued

Economic Policies in Newly Independent States

• Focus: Government involvement in directing economies

Egypt under Gamal Abdul Nasser

• Non-Aligned Movement: Leveraged US-Soviet rivalry to aid economic development
• Nationalized the Suez Canal (1956)
• Gained Soviet support to end Western invasion
• Completed the Aswan High Dam (1970)
• Initiated social welfare reforms (schooling, healthcare)

India under Indira Gandhi

• First female Prime Minister (1966)
• Inherited economic crisis (conflict with Pakistan, famine)
• Implemented socialist five-year plans: Government control over economy
• Adopted Green Revolution techniques: High-yield grain, agricultural self-sufficiency
• Nationalized key industries, regulated others, taxed wealthy
• Result: Reduced inflation, increased production

Migration Post-Colonial Independence

• Significant migration to metropoles (imperial countries)
• Example migrations: South Asians to Great Britain, Algerians to France, Filipinos to the US
• Reasons:
  • Economic difficulties in independent states
  • Cultural and economic ties with former colonial powers
• Consequence: Transformed previously homogeneous societies into multi-ethnic ones