Decolonization of India and Africa: A Comparative Study
India: The First Independence
The decolonization of India involved two processes: first, the peaceful elimination of foreign presence; and second, the destruction of colonial structures and the organization of the country.
The Indian National Congress Party was founded, and the Muslim League was established to defend the rights of the Islamic minority. In the Lucknow Pact, both groups signed an agreement in which they committed to fighting for India’s autonomy. After the First World War, the Congress and Gandhi led a campaign of demonstrations and strikes. There were contacts between the British and Indian representatives, but they never reached an agreement.
After countless tensions and the Second World War, Gandhi proclaimed a new campaign that ultimately led to India’s independence. The success of the Japanese government in the Far East at the outbreak of the Second World War forced negotiations. Gandhi asked the British to leave India, and they responded by arresting the top nationalist leaders and violently repressing demonstrations.
After the war, an independent India would facilitate integration into the British Commonwealth. Elections showed the country’s division into two main blocks (Hindus and Muslims), which led to the partition into two states: India and Pakistan.
Decolonization in Africa
The process of decolonization in Africa began with the independence of Libya and extended to Namibia, including the repeal of the apartheid system in South Africa. The creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) began a movement that promoted unity and cooperation among African countries. Every African country wished to become independent.
Decolonization in Africa accelerated significantly due to the actions of the United Nations. The United Kingdom, following the example of India, realistically accepted the conflict and intended to rebuild its empire after decolonization. France suffered another loss in Indochina after its failure in Algeria.
The Extension of French Algeria
The Algerian people issued a manifesto that led to the creation of the National Liberation Front (FLN). The FLN initiated an armed struggle and formed the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic. A bloody struggle pitted the majority of Algerians against the French colonists and some Muslims. France practiced scorched earth tactics and extermination to prevent the FLN from gaining support from the peasantry.
The FLN received support and material assistance from Muslim states and recognition from non-aligned countries. It employed terrorist and guerrilla tactics against the population, with the complicity of the peasantry. The prolonged conflict had the opposite effect of what the revolutionaries intended: it caused unrest in France, and the war against Algeria became too costly. The French eventually granted independence, and the Arab Democratic and Popular Socialist Republic was proclaimed.
Common Features of Underdeveloped Countries
Underdevelopment is a set of circumstances that make life miserable for a very large part of the population. Underdevelopment has certain characteristics that, although not always present with the same intensity, define this situation.
- External Dependencies: The economy of these countries is based on the export of raw materials and the import of manufactured goods from developed countries.
- Wealth Distribution Inequalities: The World Bank prepared a classification of countries, taking into account income per capita. Low-income countries include Senegal, while high-income countries include the Seychelles, Croatia, and Luxembourg. The most important factor is not the difference in income but the internal distribution of wealth, as a few families possess unimaginable wealth.
- Malnutrition and Disease: Food is barely sufficient to alleviate hunger, and diets are severely deficient in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Poor diets, a lack of doctors, and the absence of a healthcare system mean that epidemics have not disappeared.
- Predominance of the Traditional Agricultural Sector: A lack of capital and internal communications infrastructure does not allow for agricultural prosperity. Subsistence farming remains the norm. Primitive cultivation techniques, low yields, and outdated techniques prevent the occurrence of an agricultural revolution, as happened in the West before the Industrial Revolution.
- Mining and Energy Sources: The exploitation of mineral and energy resources has increased progressively due to the depletion of reserves in developed countries, cheaper transportation, and the increasing development of industrial production in rich countries.