The End of European Colonies

• WWI created nationalist movements that were against colonial rule and all WWII did was reinforce and speed up that process. The Japanese had already overrun the colonial empires and the colonies that fought on the Allied side were aware that the Allied forces were under the principle of self-determination.
• Countries also had no more resources to rule the colonial empires, especially Great Britain. Between 1947 and 1962 most colonies were freed from their countries that ruled them.

Africa Struggle for Independence

• Europeans realized that they had to let go of their colonies but the colonies obviously were in no condition for self-rule. Political parties were also created in Africa that had goals of independence. Kwame Nkrumah formed the Convention People’s Party which was the first African political party and Jomo Kenyatta formed the Kenya African National Union which was primarily for economic issues but also covered self rule.
• Most political activities were none violent and led by smart Western educated Africans but the Mau Mau Movement used terrorism to demand uhuru or freedom and British were finally willing to promise independence.
• Egypt’s political party, Wafd, was formed to promote Egyptian independence. They got independence in 1922 but were still controlled by the British. Egyptian monarchy was overthrown due to British and Egyptian dissatisfaction and King Farouk was overthrown giving way to an independent republic.
• North Africa just gained independence because the French were too weak to do anything. Morocco and Tunisia were independent but Algeria was home to 2 million French settlers and was still under French control. Algerian nationalists organized the National Liberation Front (FLN) and started guerilla warfare. The French became divided over this issue and therefore Charles de Gaulle, French leader, granted American independence in 1962.
• South Africa was more complicated as there was more European influence. African National Congress was at first a group of intellectuals that wanted econ. and political reforms and full equality for educated Africans. ANC had little success and South African whites were strengthening control and segregation. The whites repressed any protests and arrested Nelson Mandela the leader of the ANC for armed resistance to the government.
• Late 1950s-60s was when most African nations gained independence. The Gold Coast was renamed Ghana and under control of Kwame Nkrumah. Other nations soon followed and by late 1960s, all nations but the south African ones were independent.

Middle East

• Fall of Ottoman and Persian empires began new formation in the Middle East. Turkey and Iran formed and fiercely independent gov’t was established in Saudi Arabia in 1932. Iraq also gained independence from Britain. The British and French still had control over Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.
• Jordan Syria, Lebanon and Palestine became independent after the war. The Arab League created to unite but soon was disbanded because of difference in opinion.
• Jews and Arabs could not get along, British slowed down immigration of the Jews and denied them a state in Palestine but the Zionists were not to be denied and the holocaust allowed many to give them more sympathy. The Zionists looked to the US for support and March 1948, Truman admin. approved est. of Jewish state and an Arab state, proclaiming the state of Israel. The new state was seen as betrayal to the Palestinians . Outraged that the Western countries did not support the Muslim cause, the Arabs invaded the Jewish state which failed but the both sides hated each other from then on.
• Palestinian Liberation Organization was formed to represent Palestinian interests. Guerilla movement called al-Fatah led by Yasir Arafat launched terrorist attacks on the Israeli territory. Israel gov’t invaded the PLO bases in Jordan.
• Israel adopted a policy of immediate retaliation against the PLO if any hostile act occurred. Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, ruler of Egypt, imposed a blockade against Israeli shipping through the Gulf of Aqaba. June 5, 1967, Israel launched air strikes bombing 17 Egyptian airfields and wiped out the Egyptian Air Force. The blockade was broken and Israeli armies settled in the Sinai peninsula. Jordan territory also seized, occupation of Jerusalem, attacked Syrian military position. Six-Day War devastated Nasser’s forces, tripling size of territory. Israel still has the territories but Arab and Israel still cannot get their act together to this day.

Asia Nationalism

• British Indian Muslims and Hindus did not want to create a single Indian state. British created Pakistan for the Muslims and India for the Hindus. Only one Indian National Congress member opposed,  Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was correct when Aug. 15, 1947 arrived and violence erupted as Muslims and Hindus scurried across the new borders.
• A Hindu militant assassinated Gandhi.

China Communism

• Nationalist Government under Chiang Kai-Shek was supported by the Americans while Mao Zedong (Communist party) built a strong base in North China. People’s Liberation Army had over 1 mil. troops. Coalition government failed so therefore civil war broke out.
• Millions of peasants were supportive of the People’s Liberation Army under Mao Zedong. This army then surrounded Beijing, crossed the Yangtze, and occupied Shanghai. Chiang and his government plus 2 million followers fled to Taiwan during this time. Mao mounted the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Beijing declaring victory.
• Great Leap Forward – the plan Mao had to create a socialist regime involving collectivization of farming and nationalizing industry and creating communal villages of more than 30 thousand people. This plan ended in disaster.
• 1966- Mao unleashed his Red Guards that were to purify the nation of capitalism and scrutinized just about everything including schools, universities, factories, and some government ministries.
• The forced step toward communism was called the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution that lasted for about 10 years. Mao believed that a constant revolutionary fervor would achieve communism by overcoming the past. Red Guards were sent out to eliminate 4 oldies: old culture, old ideas, old customs, and old habits.
• Temples books written by foreigners and jazz records were destroyed. Street signs were replaced with revolutionary names. Property was destroyed and people that deviated from Mao’s ideals were attacked. Many party members did not agree with Mao’s approach of permanent revolution.. When Mao died, more practical approach was implemented.