Topic: Decolonization of Asia Essential Question: What challenges faced decolonization and what could have been done to prevent them? Bell Ringer: What.

Topic: Decolonization of Asia

Essential Question: What challenges faced decolonization and what could have been done

to prevent them?

Bell Ringer: What is decolonization?

Decolonization: the process of becoming free of colonial status and achieving statehood

Colonial History of Asia

Like much of the rest of the world, Asia was dominated by outside powers for extraction of resources until after WWII.

Asia: Nationalism and Communism

U.S. granted independence to the Philippines in 1946.

Plans to decolonize the Philippines had been in place prior to 1946, but Japan invaded and occupied the Philippines in 1935-1945

Asia: Nationalism and Communism

1948: Britain granted independence to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Burma (Myanmar).

Asia: Nationalism and Communism

Indonesia emerged from Dutch East Indies in 1949.

French tried to remain in Indochina, causing bloody struggle with Vietnamese nationalist guerrillas led by Ho Chi Minh.

After defeat in 1954, France granted independence to Laos and Cambodia; Vietnam was temporarily divided between the pro-Communist North and the pro-Western South, eventually causing Vietnam War. It became fully Communist in 1976 soon after the US withdrawal of troops

China under Communism Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-

shek in southern and central China (supported by Americans) and Communists led by Mao Zedong in North China.

Full-scale war broke out in 1946.

In 1949, Chiang’s government and 2 million of his followers fled to Taiwan.

1955: Chinese government collectivized all private farmland and nationalized most industry and commerce.

Began radical program called Great Leap Forward in 1958 to increase productivity; it was a disaster.

Asia: Nationalism and CommunismChina Under

Communism Great Proletarian Cultural

Revolution lasted from 1966 to 1976.

Red Guards wanted to eliminate “four olds” – old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits.

People began to turn against revolution, and reformers seized power when Mao died in September 1976.

After 1976, China became a mixed economy, no longer completely communist.

Decolonization and Cold War Rivalries

Indonesia President Sukarno allied himself with Communist

China and Soviet Union. Relied on domestic support for Indonesian Communist

Party. Overthrown by conservative Muslim army in 1965 Military government was established under General

Suharto. Suharto re-established good relations with the West

and attempted to repair economy, called himself President.

Became a republic with elections for president after Suharto resigned in 1998, with the first public election held in 2004.

Decolonization and Cold War Rivalries

Independent nations found themselves caught in rivalry between US and USSR.

The nations that tried to stay out of it are called the non-aligned nations

Challenges of Independence

Ethnic disputesDependent economiesGrowing debtCultural dependence on west-> religious revivalism

as backlash Widespread social unrestMilitary responses to restore order

Population growthResource depletionLack of middle class in some localesEducation deficit and later, brain drain.Neo-colonialism through economic debt.

Conclusions

Decolonization was sometimes a violent process- dependent in large part on how many settlers had come to the colony.

In many parts of world, decolonization was not revolutionary. Power passed from one class of elites to another. Little economic and social reform occurred.

Significant challenges faced independent nations.

SUMMARY: What could have been done to prevent the challenges that faced former colonies?

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