4.4 Decolonization
As you learned in this unit, the process of decolonization in the latter half of the 20th century was negotiated between both colonizers and colonized. European nations which had been weakened by World War II struggled to find the resources to control their colonies. Asian and African colonies which had been seeking their freedom for generations saw that the time had arrived to gain independence.
Although both sides had good reasons to end their formal relationships, transitions were fraught with difficulty. There was violence, civil wars, ethnic rivalries and class warfare.
Your task:
Answer this question:
Why did the transition from colony to independent state go so badly for some countries and not so badly for others?
Choose a country from column A and one for column B. Complete two copies of the worksheet below, labelled Cause-Consequence - one for each country chosen.
| A | B |
|
India Hong Kong Malaysia |
Rwanda Uganda The Congo |
Format
Paragraph 1 - Introduce your topic - include the countries that you are covering as well as a general answer to the question posed above.
Paragraph 2 - explain how the transition went for the country in column A
Paragraph 3 - explain how the transition went for the country in column B
Paragraph 4 - restate your answer to the general question, then provide reasons for this thesis, drawing from the two example countries which you explored.
You will need to hand in two completed sheets with your essay.