Global Decolonization and National Independence Movements
Decolonization in North Africa
Algeria
Algeria was a French colony from 1830 to 1962. Originally part of the Ottoman Empire with a 99% Islamic population, France used Napoleon’s 1808 plans to justify colonization. The nation eventually gained independence after a long and violent war.
Libya
Libya was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1551 to 1911, after which Italy colonized it under Mussolini. As the 4th largest country in Africa, located along the Mediterranean, it achieved independence in 1953 after World War II weakened Italy.
Morocco
Morocco was colonized by both France and Spain; its close proximity to Europe made it easy to colonize. The king was exiled by France, but nationalist and political movements fought for independence, which was gained in 1956.
Independence in West Africa
Senegal
Senegal was colonized by France. As the westernmost point of Africa, it served as a strategic entry point for trade with other continents. Its path to sovereignty was fairly non-violent and political, achieving independence around 1960.
Nigeria
Nigeria was colonized by Britain starting in the 17th century and formally by 1885. It had the largest population in Africa in 1946, with over 250 ethnic groups. British influence shaped its religion and governance before it gained independence in 1960.
Niger
Niger is a West African nation bordering Algeria and is one of the hottest countries in the world. Colonized by France in 1922, it faced poor conditions under French rule. Following a relatively peaceful political decolonization, it gained independence in 1960, though the French economic legacy still impacts the country.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone was colonized by the United Kingdom. Its coastal location made it valuable, and it uniquely became a destination for freed slaves; the capital, Freetown, reflects this history. Lasting colonial legacies remain following its independence in 1961.
Mali
Mali, formerly called French Sudan, was under French rule from 1892. A forced labor and export economy was imposed on the population, resulting in lasting poverty. The nation achieved independence in 1960.
East and Central African Colonial History
Somalia
Somalia, located on the east coast of Africa, was extremely valuable for trade routes. It was colonized by Italy, the UK, and Spain at different points. Military coups eventually led to independence, and the nation is well known for its famous poets.
Kenya
Kenya was a British colony from 1895 to 1920, with land used for British farming and settler agriculture. The Mau Mau uprising (1952–1960) was a violent resistance movement that, while ultimately failing, pressured Britain. An export-focused economy was imposed before independence was achieved in 1963.
Cameroon
Cameroon was violently colonized by Germany in 1884 during the Scramble for Africa. France and Britain took over in 1916 after WWI, splitting the territory between French and English rule, which is why the nation is bilingual today. It was decolonized in 1960.
DR Congo
DR Congo was brutally colonized by Belgium in one of the most exploitative instances in history. It gained independence in 1960 but immediately faced Cold War interference as the nation turned to the Soviets. It took 37 more years to achieve true political independence.
Southern African Sovereignty
Namibia
Namibia was first colonized by Germany in 1884, then South Africa took over in 1915. During their rule, Germany committed genocide against the Herero and Nama peoples. Independence was finally achieved in 1990.
South Africa
South Africa was first colonized by the Dutch, then Britain took over in the 1500s. Incredibly rich in gold, diamonds, and other resources, it is a geologically valuable location at the southern tip of Africa. Both the Dutch and British competed to control it.
Asian Independence Movements
Malaysia
Malaysia was colonized gradually by three powers: first Portugal, then the Dutch, and finally the British. Following Japanese occupation during WWII, a post-war civil war broke out between British Commonwealth forces and the Malaysian Communist Party. Independence was reached in 1957.
India
India is a vast South Asian country with extensive coastline that made it extremely valuable. Following gradual British colonization over centuries, Mahatma Gandhi led a nationalist non-violent resistance movement, and independence was achieved in 1947.
Myanmar (Burma)
Myanmar is a mostly Buddhist country that was colonized by the British and briefly held under Japanese rule during WWII. It was separated from British India as its own colony. Colonization began with war, and the nation gained independence in 1948, later being renamed Myanmar.
Philippines
The Philippines was colonized first by Spain, then the United States, and later occupied by Japan. The people fought incredibly hard for independence over 350 years of colonial rule, finally achieving it in 1946.
Middle Eastern and Caribbean History
Iraq
Iraq was a site of conflict between the Ottoman and Persian empires, which fought for its valuable resources and strategic location. The British took control in 1920 via a League of Nations mandate after WWI. It achieved one of the earliest independences in the region in 1932.
Jamaica
Jamaica is located in the middle of the Caribbean, making it highly valuable for trade and transportation. The Taíno were the indigenous people before Columbus and Spain arrived in 1496. The British took over in 1655 and brought enslaved Africans; the nation gained independence in 1962.
European and South American Decolonization
Ireland
Ireland was under UK rule for centuries. The Easter Rising of 1916 was crushed, and a Civil War followed in 1921. Independence was declared in 1922, but Northern Ireland remained, and still remains, part of the UK.
Brazil
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and was colonized by Portugal in 1500. It had a massive slave population. Portugal peacefully left in 1825, making it one of the most bloodless decolonization processes, though economic dependency and cultural shifts remain as lasting legacies.
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
The Baltic states were all satellite states of the USSR. Estonia and Latvia gained brief independence after WWI, but Latvia was later occupied by the Nazis in WWII, which was devastating for Latvian Jews. Lithuania transitioned from dictatorship to democracy, and the Holocaust partly began there. All three regained full independence in 1990–1991 when the USSR fell, using peaceful methods including singing revolutions and the human chain protest known as the Baltic Way.