Q. Write a critical note on the process o1 decolonization accelerated by the Second World War.

Ans. The second World war brought open the true faces of imperialist powers, Their previous
profession of development and progress faded away and they ran for their life when faced with a powerful
power. The Fascist powers (Germany. Italy Japan) gave a severe jolt to the past imperialist powers In their
colonies of Asia and Africa the past Master had to wage a severe battle to safeguard their interest. Germany
and Italy gave them severe jolts in Africa and west Asia where their interest lied. In Asia, Japan had almost
captured the whole of South East Asia and began threatening at the Indian doors. When the German
blitzkrieg was launched in Europe, the whole of the Europe united against it. All the democratic countries
saw it as threat to its survival. Even the Imperialist nation, who were not sure of colonial support, started
promising democracy and freedom to their colonial subjects, to draw them into war. But the people of these
countries did not believe them and seen, how their Masters had fled when Japanese had removed the existing French, Dutch and many others in China. They had fled the country and left its people at the mercy of
the aggressors. The people came to a realisation that they had to make a survival of their own, devoid of
any help. Their faith in goodness of the rule of the foreigners ended and their promises of democracy and
freedom after the war, sound hollow. So, they started organising themselves on their own genius to gain
freedom. When after the defeat of fascist powers, the old master started returning to their colonies, they
were faced with massive people resistance. The nationalist sentiment against any foreign domination had
gained strength and the people were ready to go into any privation to gain independence from foreign yoke.
The people's reaction and leadership of communist party made China a free and people republic in
1949 after a severe civil war in which the western powers supported the Chiang-kai-Shek's government
against Mao's communists. In Indonesia, which was a Dutch colony, the Japanese aggression had made
them flee. but after Japan's defeat in 1945 they started returning to Indon sia. But by this time. the
nationalist party of SL Karno I" ad gained mass people's support and they resists I any such attempt. Mass
peopi',;
agitation ano action prevented Dutch from gaining any substantial footholds in their previous colonies,
where they had ruled (or almost three hundred years. And had devised a wonderful "Cul-ii-ire system" to
protect their interest. But all was undone when in spite of fighting with the people, they fled to safety of their
mother land and left ifid natives at the hand of foreign powers (Japan)
which was ruthless in exploitation. People's faith in them had been shattered and they were not prepared to
accept them at any cost. The efforts by other western powers to bolster the Dutch cla ims did not succeed
and Indonesia gained independence in 1853.
In indo-China, the "story was the same. The French who were the colonial Masters, were driven out by the
Japanese. After Japan's defeat in 1945, France wanted to regain the control over Indo-China. The people of
Indo-China had lost faith in French and resisted any such attempt of their return. Tha people were led by
Ho-Chin-Minh and his party, the communist party. Fierce battles were fought with the French armies. French
gained the support of other Western powers, United States which emerged as the most powerful of the nations took special interest in the development in Indo-China, because its main interest was in containing the
advances of communists. The nationalist of Indo-China were supported by the Russians and Chinese
communist parties. So, Indo-China became a battle ground of two opposite system the capitalists and the
communists. Ultimately. Frencn had to withdraw in 1954, but western powers divided Vietnam. The capitalist
thwarted any attempt at their unity and bolstered the North Vietnamese government with arms and money
and in 1960. After 1963 the United States directly got involved in the Vietnam affairs and that proved very
costly for United States in arms. men and money.
All these struggles, show that people of colonies had become deeply steeped in nationalist sentiments and
the activity of the Western powers of either camp- during the war had brought open their true faces
regarding colonies, and people of colonies came to realise that they would themselves have to gain
freedom on their own strength. The activities of Imperialist power after the war reinforced this view point.
And the emergence of people republic of China and India's Independence in 1947, and the emergence of
soviet Russia as a world power, helped the colonial people of all over the world to start agitation for
independence. The United Nation and the pressure by newly independent nations of Asia and Africa, helped
in the decolonisation process and world opinion also. favoured such a process and we see emergence
of_few independent nation of Asia and Africa during'1950.,and 1960.

Q What were the main factors of decolonization after world war II?

Ans.Within two decades of world war2, most of the nations in Asia Africa and Latin America threw off the
yoke of their colonial masters. By the end of 20th Century, with the exception of small pockets in various
parts of the world, all the countries in the world were free from the direct political control of the other
countries.
The following were the reasons which accelerated the pace of freedom movements in various parts of the
world after the World War II:
1. World War II weakend the imperialist countries to a great extent. The military and the economic powers
of these colonial nations received a huge set back because of the War. As a result these countries nor only
became weak but also lost their hegemony and control over the international affairs.
2. The imperial powers lost their capacity to continue and sustain the protracted colonial war. Many of the
imperial powers were marred with heavy war destruction, acute war shortages and engaged with the
reconstruction of their country. At such juncture it was impossible for them to be in direct conflict with the
nationalist movements.
3. Entry of Japan in the World War II against Britain and France and its occupation of South East Asia
contributed to decolonization to ;i great extent. The Japanese aggression made these regions emerge as
nationalistic, radical and revolutionary.
4. The rise of communism in erstwhile USSR and her ascendency as a superpower after the World War II
gave a serious jolt to the ideologies of capitalism and colonialism. Communism and socialism not just
inspired the national movements in various countries but also radicalized them.
5. World War II was fought in the name of democracy and to defend freedom. It galvanized the freedom
movements in various countries. In many countries where nationalism had begun to emerge during the
inter-war period, powerful nationalist movements took shape after the war.
6. In the changed political climate in the world after the World War II, imperialism began to get loathed upon
by intellectuals and thinkers. It no longer was considered as a. status of "superiority" or "superior
civilization".
7. Imperialism, after the war, got associated with brute force, exploitation, plunder, gross injustice and was
considered inhuman and immoral.
8. The anti imperialist ideology and solidarity between the newly independent countries also gave a huge
impetus to decolonization. The international organizations like United Nations and Non Aligned Movement
vehemently opposed imperialism and stood for self determination, national sovereignty and equality.
9. The two superpowers were hostile towards the colonialism. They exerted severe diplomatic pressure on
colonial powers in the favour of decolonization.