The Retreat From Empire
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Transcript The Retreat From Empire
The Retreat From Empire
CHANGES STEMMING FROM WWII AND THE
COLD WAR WORLD
India and China as symbols
WWII brought substantial change to these states.
India emerged as Independent in 1947. British colonial
prowess receded as it focused on reconstruction after WWII
China saw a long civil war emerge with global powers
supporting each side in the Chinese Civil War.
The US and Soviet Union sought to protect their interests during
the civil war with the US supporting the nationalists and the
Soviets supporting the Communists.
De-Colonizaton
Global conferences emerge to try and solve the
issue—Geneva Conference created a divided Vietnam
in the wake of Vietnam.
The French legacy in Vietnam was remembered in
their future struggle.
Vietnam had their own designs on their future.
The lessons from China ring true in Vietnam
Two states, two supporters…US in South, USSR in
North.
Proxy war that results in a war of independence as
Vietnam will become a communist state.
Case Studies in De-Colonization
Israel:
1917 Balfour Declaration
A British mandate after WWI
Remnant of the Ottoman state
Created its own state in 1947
Zionism and Palestinian outrage
De-Colonization in Egypt
Egypt and Arab nationalism
Military leaders under Gamal A. Nasser seized power in 1952
Nasser became prime minister, a leader of pan-Arab nationalism
Egypt neutral in cold war, accepted aid from both powers
Nasser dedicated to ending imperialism and destroying state of Israel
Suez crisis, 1956, greatly enhanced Nasser's prestige
Canal controlled by Britain; Nasser nationalized it to build Egypt's
economy
Attacked by British, French, and Israeli forces, which retook canal
Both superpowers condemned military action, forced them to
withdraw
Suez crisis divided United States and its allies in western Europe
De-Colonization in North Africa
Forcing the French out of north Africa
France in Africa
1950s and 1960s, French granted independence to all its African
colonies except Algeria
Two million French settlers in Algeria
Revolt of May 1954 was repressed by French; eight thousand
Algerian Muslims died
War in Algeria, 1954-1962
Algerian nationalists pursued guerrilla warfare against French rule
By 1958, a half-million French soldiers were committed to the
conflict
Atrocities on both sides; heavy civilian casualties; Algerian
independence, 1962
Black Nationalism and Independence
Growth of African nationalism
Began as grassroots protest against European imperialism
African nationalism celebrated Negritude (blackness), African
roots
Obstacles to African independence
Imperial powers assumed Africans were not ready for selfgovernment
White settlers opposed black independence
Anticommunist fears justified interference in African politics
Economic and political instability often hampered post
independent Africa
Transformation of South Africa
Gained independence in 1901, but denied civil rights to black population
South African economy strong, both mining and industry; prospered during
WWII
Black workers demanded political change
Apartheid: harsh legal system imposed in 1948, designed to keep
races separate
87 peercent of South African land was for white residents, others classified by
race
African National Congress, led by Nelson Mandela, launched campaign to protest
apartheid
Severe government repression provoked international opposition after 1960
Black agitation and international sanctions brought end to apartheid in 1989
1994, under new constitution, Mandela won free election as first black president
African Troubles
Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)
First prime minister, a Marxist, killed in a CIA-backed coup, 1961
Dictator Mobutu ruled from 1965 to 1997; plundered Zaire's
economy
Mobutu ruled Zaire in dictatorial fashion and amassed huge personal
fortune
Lawrence Kabila ousted Mobutu in 1997, changed country's name
back to the Congo
Kabila killed, 2001; replaced by his son Joseph; no elections yet
Developing economies of Africa
Africa has 10 percent of world's population but less than 1 percent of
industrial output
Rich in minerals, raw materials, agricultural resources
Lacking in capital, technology, foreign markets, and managerial class
Rapid population growth compounds problems
Ghana (Gold Coast) first to gain independence, 1957
Kwame Nkrumah, nationalist leader, jailed and censored for political
actions
Eventually released, Nkrumah became Ghana's first president, 1957
Side-by-side posters presented Queen Elizabeth and Nkrumah as equals,
1961
Anticolonial rebellion in Kenya
Violent clashes between native Kikuyu (Mau Mau) and European settlers
after 1947
1930s and 1940s, Kikuyu pushed off farm lands, reduced to wage slaves
Labeling Mau Mau as communist subversives, Britain gained U.S.
support
Kikuyu uprising crushed by superior arms in 1955; twelve thousand
Africans killed
Political parties legalized, 1959; Kenya gained independence, 1963
Changes in Iran
The Iranian revolution, 1979
CIA helped anticommunist Shah Mohammed Pahlavi gain
power, 1953
Repressive rule overthrown by Islamist followers of Ayatollah
Khomeini, 1979
Khomeini attacked United States for support of the shah
Militants held sixty-nine Americans hostage for 444 days; shut
down U.S. military bases
Movement encouraged other Muslims to undertake terrorist
actions
Islamofacism
Islamism: revival of Muslim traditions
Reasserting Islamic values in Muslim politics
Resentment at European and American societies
Extremists embraced jihad, or duty to defend Islam from
attack; justified terrorism