Essay On Decolonisation

The end of World War II in September 1945 was followed by a period of substantial decolonisation across the world by the many of the western superpowers. Countries that had previously been exploited for economic gain were suddenly independent, and often without institutions for governance of economic stability. The political, economic, and social affairs of decolonised countries from the time of independence to the present day varies greatly. There are many examples of ex-colonies, such as India and Singapore, which adapted fairly well to newfound independence. However, concurrently, many states saw their post-colonial history dominated by violence, unrest, and poverty. Additionally, in many places, this unrest caused by the abrupt end of

The economic exploitation and political governance of another country is not fair to the local inhabitants. Decolonisation was a crucial step in the direction of equality, especially racially. Previously, western superpowers acted in the name of economic opportunity, disregarding the indigenous populations of their colonies. The standard of life of the local people was disregarded in favour of profit for the colonisers. While the welfare and standard of living of local people vastly improved towards 20th century, a titanic feeling of inferiority remained. The end of colonialism brought with it a certain recognised level of equality between the colonisers and the colonised, which had not existed previously. That having been said, the furthering of equality was not the main motivation of western powers to decolonise. Instead, states such as Great Britain and Netherlands shifted their economic priorities towards domestic growth, wishing to shed the costs of foreign colonies and focus on the economies in their respective countries. Nevertheless, improved equality was a result of ex-colonial states becoming sovereign and