After World War II, the independence movements of colonies were driven by a combination of internal and external forces:
1. Local/National Leaders & Movements (Internal Drivers):
- India: Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and the Indian National Congress pushed for independence from Britain.
- Indonesia: Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declared independence from the Dutch in 1945.
- Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh sought liberation from French rule.
- Africa: Leaders like Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya), Julius Nyerere (Tanzania) mobilized nationalist movements.
- Grassroots organizations, workers’ unions, students, and religious groups also played critical roles.
2. International Factors (External Drivers):
- Weakening of colonial powers: Britain, France, and the Netherlands were militarily and economically weakened by WWII, making it harder to maintain empires.
- U.S. and Soviet Union: Both superpowers opposed European colonial empires (though often for strategic reasons). The U.S. pushed self-determination, while the USSR supported anti-colonial struggles as part of its ideological battle.
- United Nations: Established in 1945, the UN Charter enshrined the principle of self-determination, offering legitimacy to independence movements.
- Global opinion: Anti-colonial sentiment spread worldwide, and atrocities committed during colonial rule (and wars like in Algeria, Vietnam, Kenya) increased pressure for decolonization.
3. WWII itself as a catalyst:
- The war undermined the myth of European superiority (Asian troops saw Europeans defeated by Japan, e.g. British in Singapore 1942).
- Colonies’ contributions to the Allied war effort gave them leverage to demand independence in return.
- Japan’s occupation of European colonies in Asia (e.g., Burma, Indonesia, Philippines) broke colonial authority and inspired local nationalist groups.
So, the independence movements after WWII were primarily driven by nationalist leaders and local populations, but enabled by global shifts in power and ideology after the war.
