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Explaining Postwar Decolonization

 









  


 


1.Ê What sustained Colonial regimes?

 perialis grounded in ilitary superiority but not dependent on force alone: other vital

factors include divide and rule, the co-option of part of the indigenous elite , a strong racial

hierarchy, the belief by the British, French etc that Empire was advantageous (for econo ic

and political reasons) and an international environ ent tolerant of imperialism.

2.Ê uow and why these conditions vanished in thepostwar world?

After 1945 these conditions rapidly disappeared:

a.Ê Within the colonies:

ëÊ he emergence of aestern educated elite made discrimination harder to

justifysophisticated political parties harder to divide and rule (Congress I, Neo ë

estour)

ëÊ Warëtime defeat by the Japanese speeded up decline of colonialism in Asia:

+ sense of power hard to recapture for Europeans after hu iliation

+ power vacuu after Japanese defeat exploited by uo Chi Minh and Sukarno
(nationalis )
+ need to re-establish themselves hard for Britain (Burma) and France(Indochina)
and utterly beyond the Netherlands (Indonesia)

ëÊ wave of Œsian decolonization: India (1947), Burma (1948), Indonesia (1949),Laos

(1953), Cambodia and N/S Vietnam (1954) and Malaya (1957)
¦.Ê @ithin Europe the de¦ate a¦out imperialism also changing:
ëÊ Immediatepostëwar colonies appeared even ore attractive: econo ic
potentialand way for Britain and France to compete with new Superpowers. uence
Frenchrepression in Algeria (1945) and Madagascar (1947 ë8)

ëÊ But old racial hierarchy problematic postëuolocaust. Colonialism needed to

beustified in terms of good it did to the colonies, not just t he metropole. uard
toresist moderate nationalism & necessary to spend more money on infrastructure.

AÊ Xising costs: Constant repression very expensive in money, lives and international
prestige

ëÊ Econo ic benefits of e pire less obviouso boom in European trade contrast

withstagnant imperial commerce (Marseille theory)

AÊ All this led to a more pragmatic assessment of Empire. Macmillan͛s balance sheetin
UKo xartierismein France.
AÊ aere E pires any longer worthwhile?

c.Ê International environment also less conduci ve

ëÊ ·ittle direct superpower pressure. In fact US helped France in Indochina.

ëÊ BU in cold war environment colonial entanglements are unwelcomecomplication

for Britain and France. Costly in terms of popularity, esp in UN
ëÊ ast retreat fro 1960: Macmillan ͚Winds of Change speech͛o de
Gaulle͛sdisengagement from Algeria & subëSaharan Africao Belgian retreat from
Congo

3. Ê And how the British and French experiences diverged?

ëÊ Partly lessons of past (repression): In India and Ireland British had learnt dangers o f
repression.French by contrast appeared at first to succeed with hard ëline. Went on
trying.

ëÊ Political: British governments more able to resist pressure fromsettlers/economic

interest groups than fragile IV Republic coalitions

ëÊ Difficulty of rench colonies

ëÊ †
s record patchy: in India, Palestine, Rhodesia etc. trouble after UK withdrawal.