Ch.18 The Colonies Become New Nations

April 23 P. 564 Geography Skillbuilder

The Indian Subcontinent Achieves Freedom

Moving Toward Independence The fight for freedom from Nazi tyranny deepened desire for independence Japanese victories over Europeans made Asian nationalists realize Europe could be defeated. Europeans began to question the morality of colonialization.

Indian Independence British Parliament granted independence to India (Hindu) and Pakistan (Muslim) in July 1947. People given one month to decide which country they wanted to live in and to move there. Violence broke out between Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs Mohandas Gandhi pleaded to end all violence, but a Hindu extremist assassinated him for protecting Muslims.

Modern India Jawaharlal Nehru became 1st prime minister of India, and led for 17 years. India and Pakistan quickly fell to war over the state of Kashmir, which had a Muslim and Hindu population. Nehru tried to reform Indian society to improve the status of the lower castes and women. After he died in 1964, his daughter, Indira Gandhi, became prime minister, but after ordering an attack on Sikh rebels, she is killed. She was followed by her son Rajiv Gandhi, but he, too, was assassinated.

Further Independence Pakistan originally had east and west parts separated by India. In 1971, the eastern part won independence becoming Bangladesh. Power struggles have caused turmoil in the western part since then. Ceylon, an island southeast of India, won its independence in 1947 later becoming Sri Lanka. Since 1983, a Hindu minority have led a fight for independence

April 24 P. 571 Geography Skillbuilder

Southeast Asian Nations Gain Independence

The Philippines 1946, US gave the Philippines independence. 1966 to 1986, Ferdinand Marcos led originally as an elected president, then as a dictator. He stole millions of dollars from the country, and when he lost an election in 1986, he refused to leave office, until public outcry forced out.

British Colonies Gain Independence Burma (Myanmar) was 1st British colony in SE Asia to become independent Ruled by generals since 1962. Post WW2, the British moved back into the Malay peninsula. They tried to form a country, but conflict between Malays and Chinese made it impossible. In 1957, independence was given to Malaya, Singapore, and parts of two distant islands. Some years later, Singapore declared independence as a city-state.

Indonesia In Indonesia, bringing 300 different groups with 250 languages into one country has been difficult. 1967, General Suharto took control, but after taking over the island of East Timor and corrupting the government, he was forced to resign in 1998

April 27 P. 580 Geography Skillbuilder

New Nations in Africa

Ghana After WW2, Africans unwilling to suffer further domination by Europeans The British began letting Africans take a greater part in the government of its Gold Coast colony. Kwame Nkrumah pushed Britain to act more quickly and in 1957 Ghana became independent Nkrumah had plans for building the economy but they were expensive and opposition grew. He was criticized by his people for forming the Organization of African Unity. The army seized power in 1966

Kenya Nationalist Jomo Kenyatta helped Kenya achieve independence in 1963. Mau Mau: this protest aimed at frightening the British settlers to leave. Kenyatta became president and tried to unite the many different peoples. His successor, Daniel Arap Moi, had little success and stepped down in 2002.

Congo Belgium granted independence to the Congo (Zaire) in 1960. In 1965, Mobutu Sese Seko took control Though Zaire had rich mineral resources, Mobutu’s harsh and corrupt rule made it poor. He was overthrown in a coup in 1997, country becomes Democratic Republic of the Congo

Algeria and Angola In Algeria, the 1 million French were unwilling to give up their control Violence broke out in 1945 and in 1962, the French granted their independence Algerians tried to modernize and industrialize but failed Islamic party won elections in 1991, but the government rejected the vote leading to a civil war 1970s, Portuguese troops left Angola without putting any group in charge leading to a long civil war. A peace agreement in 2002 finally ended the conflict.

April 28 P. 584 Geography Skillbuilder

Conflicts in the Middle East

Dividing Palestine The movement to settle Jews in Palestine began in the late 1800s. These Jews believed that Palestine belonged to them because it was their home 5,000 years ago. Muslims had lived there for 1,300 years, however. Post-WW2, the UN divided Palestine in two. Islamic countries voted against the plan, and the Palestinians opposed it. Many countries, seeing the suffering Jews had experienced in World War II, backed the idea of a separate Jewish state.

Israel and Arab States in Conflict On May 14, 1948, Jews declared the existence of the Jewish nation of Israel. The next day, six Islamic neighbors invaded Israel. With strong support from the US, Israel won. It also won three later wars and seized much Palestinian land. In 1977, Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat signed a peace agreement with Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin. Egypt became the first Islamic country to recognize Israel. This enraged many Arabs, and Sadat was assassinated in 1981. His successor kept peace with Israel.

PLO Despite many efforts, though, Israel and the Palestinian people have not made peace. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), led by Yasir Arafat, became a leading group in the struggle for self-rule. During the 1970s and 1980s, the military arm of the PLO attacked Israel. Israel responded by invading Lebanon.

Efforts at Peace Late 1980s, Palestinians in Israel began a revolt called the intifada, or “uprising.” Early 1990s, Israel agreed to give Palestinians control of an area called the Gaza Strip and of the town of Jericho, but the Israeli leader who signed this agreement, Yitzhak Rabin, was assassinated by a Jewish extremist In 2003, the two sides committed to a U.S. sponsored plan known as the “road map.”

April 29th P. 591 Geography Skillbuilder

Central Asia Struggles

Dividing Soviet Territory In 1991 the Soviet Union fell and its republics became fifteen independent states, including nine in Central Asia. Transcaucasian Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia Central Asian Republics: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan Many of these countries were economically dependent on the Soviet Union and hostility has arisen among some of the different ethnic groups that inhabit the area leading to the outbreak of several regional wars.

Afghanistan During the 1970s, a Communist group tried to take control of Afghanistan fighting the mujahideen. Soviets invaded but could not defeat the Afghan guerrilla fighters withdrawing ten years later. Various Afghan rebel troops fought each other for control of the country. By 1998, the Taliban controlled most of Afghanistan, and practiced an extreme version of Islam forbidding women to attend school or hold jobs, prohibiting citizens from watching television and movies or listening to modern music.

The Taliban The Taliban allowed terrorist groups to train in Afghanistan, including al-Qaeda, whose leader was Osama bin Laden. After the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. demanded the Taliban turn over bin Laden, but they refused. Oct 2001, US took military action against Afghanistan. Dec, the US had driven the Taliban from power, and Afghanis created a new government and began rebuilding their country