Decolonization in Asia: history, characters, causes, consequences

The decolonization of Asia took place mainly between 1945 and 1960, after the Second World War and the Japanese invasion of the colonies. Asian secessionist movements emerged from a growing nationalist sentiment and rejection of European domination.

In a climate marked by the growing importance of human rights, several nationalist leaders guided the creation of new independent states. In Indonesia, Sukarno led the secessionist movement and became the first president of the Republic.

Commandos of the French Navy enter the coast of Annam in July 1950 (Indochina War)

In India, Gandhi and Nehru defended the independence of a single State. In parallel, another movement led by Ali Jinnah defended the separation of India in two territories.

Decolonization was a peaceful episode in some colonies, while in others it developed violently. The process even led to several war conflicts, such as the Indochina War between France and Vietnam.

Decolonization was supported by the United States. and the Soviet Union. International institutions, such as the UN, also positioned themselves in favor of the independence of the colonies.

History

During World War II, Japan invaded and occupied the European colonies of Southeast Asia. After the victory of the allies, Japan was forced to leave the territory. The colonies were recovered by the European states.

The war had intensified the nationalist sentiment and opposition to the colonial Europe of the region. After the war, the Philippines became independent from the United States. in 1946.

The British Empire, which after the war lacked the means to confront its colonies, chose to cede political control of its territories, maintaining certain economic advantages.

In 1947, the English part of India split into two, giving rise to India and Pakistan. The division caused violent conflicts between Hindus and Muslims, causing between 200,000 and 1 million victims, as well as intense migratory movements.

Between 1950 and 1961, the French and Portuguese parts of India were annexed to independent India. On the other hand, Indonesia suffered four years of military and diplomatic clashes. Finally, in 1949, the Netherlands recognized its independence.

As for France, it faced its colonies in the Indochina War (1946 - 1954). In 1954, the Geneva Conferences were held, and Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.

France also recognized the independence of Cambodia and Laos, after it was proclaimed in 1953.

Burma and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), in turn, became independent from the British Empire in 1948. Also in 1948, Korea, under Japanese rule, was divided into North Korea and South Korea.

Although the most intense phase of decolonization took place during the post-war period, some Asian states, such as Singapore and the Maldives, achieved independence after 1960.

Other territories experienced an even later decolonization. Malaysia, for example, remained under British rule until 1957. Qatar would not achieve independence until 1971, and Hong Kong had been under the control of the United Kingdom until 1997.

Prominent figures

During the process of decolonization, several leaders led the independence movements:

Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)

One of the leaders of the Congress Party of India, which defended the independence of India as a single State. During the Second World War, he led a campaign of civil disobedience.

Mohammed Ali Jinnah (1876 - 1948)

Muslim leader who defended the independence of Pakistan. He presided over the Muslim League, a political party in British India that advocated the creation of a Muslim state and another Hindu one.

Jawaharlal Nehru (1889 - 1964)

Another leader of the Indian Congress Party. Nehru was the first Prime Minister of independent India, from 1947 to 1964.

Ho Chi Minh (1890 - 1969)

In 1941 he founded Viet Minh, a coalition in favor of Vietnam's independence. In 1945 he declared the independence of France and led the defense against reoccupation. From 1945 until his death, in 1969, he was prime minister and president of North Vietnam.

Sukarno (1901 - 1970)

He led the independence movement in Indonesia. After proclaiming independence in 1945, he became the first president of the Republic.

Causes

The imperialist expansion had begun in the late s. XV For centuries, European states benefited from the economic exploitation of the colonies. They also clashed with each other to obtain and maintain their control.

From the beginning, the new colonies opposed resistance to European rule. Proof of this is, among others, the Indian Rebellion in 1857.

However, for hundreds of years the technological supremacy of Europe was enough to maintain control of the colonies. In fact, the great European powers possessed, among others, medicine, infrastructures and more advanced armaments.

Independence movements

During the first half s. XX were developed in the region movements of opposition to the domination of Western Europe and in favor of the independence movement. These movements were based on the ideals of democracy and national sovereignty.

Influence of the League of Nations

After the First World War , the League of Nations agreed to guide the colonies towards independence in the long term. For practical purposes, the result was that the Allies gained control of the colonies of the vanquished states.

Before the end of the Second World War, several states in the Middle East, such as Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, achieved independence. It was the beginning of a process of decolonization that would spread throughout Asia.

However, at the end of World War II, the European powers were not willing to give up their colonies. They needed them to keep up with the growing power of the United States. and the Soviet Union. In addition, the shortage of post-war made them dependent on the valuable natural resources of these territories.

Emergence of human rights

The independence will was strengthened thanks to the support of international institutions, such as the UN. The growing importance of human rights at the international level has also decisively promoted decolonization.

Power support

The support of the new great powers of the international panorama, USA and the Soviet Union, was another factor that contributed to strengthen the decolonization process.

Consequences

Decolonization in general, and in particular in the Asian continent, marked a change in international relations between States. In contrast to the colonial model, the independence movements configured a political order of individual, self-governing states.

Some of the new independent territories suffered intense internal conflicts after the end of European domination.

In India, for example, massacres of local populations occurred. In Burma, violent clashes between communists and separatists took place.

In 1955, the Bandung Conference was held in Indonesia. Its objective was to consolidate the newly achieved independence of African and Asian States.

The event condemned colonialism and examined the challenges of the new national sovereignty. The aim was to encourage collaboration among States, as opposed to colonialism.

References

1. Christie, C. J., 1996. A modern history of South East Asia. Decolonization, nationalism and separatism. London, New York: I. B. Tauris Publishers.
2. CVCE. The beginnings of decolonization and the emergence of the non-aligned states. Luxembourg: University of Luxembourg. Available at: cvce.eu/en
3. Klose, F., 2014. Decolonization and Revolution. Mainz: Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG). Available at: ieg-ego.eu
4. Muñoz García, F.J., The decolonization of Asia and Africa. The movement of non-aligned countries. Clío 37. Available at: clio.rediris.es
5. Office of the Historian Decolonization of Asia and Africa, 1945-1960. United States Department of State. Available at: history.state.gov