How Did Revolutionary Leaders Encourage Decolonization And Revolutions From 1945-1975?

The movements towards decolonization and revolutions undoubtedly paved the political landscape from 1945 to 1975. Decolonization is the process of removing colonial rule over satellite nations and colonies once owned by global empires such as the British and French. This movement towards decolonization installed a nationalistic pride within many newfound nations and allowed for the growth of ideologies relating to independence. Revolutions occurred in order to begin and promote the idea of decolonization in many regions, including Asia and Africa. The mix of wide-scale revolutions and new ideologies relating to decolonization allowed for a large majority of colonies to become independent nations by 1975. From the period of 1945 to 1975, the
The Indonesian politician and general, Suharto is an excellent example of how the use of military force and violence can be used to develop a sovereign nation. After Japan conquered the modern-day islands of Indonesia, Suharto began to feel a nationalistic pride in his nation and join a guerrilla army that fought against the Japanese military. After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the Netherlands tried to reclaim the colony formerly known as the Dutch East Indies. Suharto was successful at defending the Indonesian islands and worked on improving his military rank which later allowed him to rise in power and ultimately allowed for the independence of Indonesia in 1945. Another prime example of violence used to achieve independence can be found in 20th century Vietnam. After almost 100 years of French colonial rule Vietnamese nationalist, Ho Chi Minh decided it was time to,”fight to the bitter end against any attempt by the French colonialists to reconquer their country” (Doc #2). This quote displays the strong desire of nationalists in Vietnam to encourage combat with colonial powers such as France in order to achieve independence. Moreover, Jomo Kenyatta, the leader of the fight for independence for Kenya stated that, “The freedom tree can only grow when you pour blood on it” (Doc #6). Kenyatta is implying that the only way to achieve freedom from
Leaders such as P.V Narasimha Rao of India did not believe violence was a necessary to fix the evergoing conflicts present in India. Rao was born into the highest class system and India and focused on politics for the majority of his life. After finishing his education, Rao decided to participate in movements that favored Indian independence. After his political party split in 1969, Rao focused on becoming a peacemaker and pacifist in his country. Once Rao became prime minister in 199, he focused on reconciliation of the Indian people and worked to keep India peaceful. Rao is an excellent example of a political leader that used pacifist means to bring independence to India and ease religious religious tensions. Another example of the encouragement of peaceful decolonization can be located in the United Nations “Declaration Against Colonialism” that says, “All peoples have the right to self-determination; by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development” (Doc #1). This text shows the United Nations’ endorsement of the process of peaceful decolonization. All U.N. members must respect this statement and therefore are bound to the text. Furthermore, an Indian independence advocate, Mohandas Gandhi stated that, “If I do not obey the law and accept the penalty for