British Experience of Decolonization 1

Discussion of British Experience of Decolonization

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13th December 2018

Colonization involved the exploration, settling, and exploitation of regions by European

nations. Britain was one of the biggest colonizers with colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Americas
British Experience of Decolonization 2

Colonization, had a major influence on the native's socioeconomic aspects since it not only
involved economic exploitation but cultural, religious and ideological and political dependency
as well. After the Second World War (WWII) European colonizers could no longer maintain
control of their colonial geographies for various reasons, including the rise nationalist
movements and weaknesses caused by WWII. As such, after the WII colonial powers began
relinquishing political power to local leaders who gradually established independence from
colonial powers in a process that is commonly referred to as decolonization. Colonization had
greatly influenced the economic, social, and cultural dimensions of the natives. As such,
decolonization had significant effects on post-colonial states (Geda, 2002, p. 10).
The colonial legacy remains controversial with some claiming that it negatively impacted
the colonized nations while others claim it benefited them. In Africa for instance, the British are
credited for introducing formal education and western medicine. Moreover, the British are
hailed for creating infrastructures such as railways and roads. However, some claim that British
infrastructure was created for the sole purpose of exploiting locals resources. Likewise,
colonization, mainly aimed at finding raw materials for Britain’s thriving industries during the
industrial revolution while ignoring the growth of local industries. The British also introduced
cash crops such as coffee and tea. This meant that African nations continued to rely on the
exportation of raw materials to countries such as Britain. In effect, there has been slow economic
growth in former colonies with most relying on foreign debt. Scholars have argued that such
debts have led to neocolonialism where colonial nations continue to exploit for colonies
(Memmi, 2014 pg.20). Furthermore, former colonies especially in Africa remain unindustrialized
and must rely on imports of industrial goods, which are of higher value compared to raw
materials they export (Hansen, 1999, p. 833). In effect, there is a trade imbalance which prevents
financial growth in former colonies.
Britain had established colonies, protectorates, and dominions across the globe.
Colonialism involved full or partial political control of countries and regions by the British
government as well as the settling of British citizens in those regions. One of the major aspects
of colonization was the partition of colonial geographies. As European nations sought to
establish colonies in Africa, there emerged a risk of conflict in what is referred to as the
“scramble of Africa”. In this realization, Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor of Germany called a
conference among colonial state to regulate the colonization of Africa in a way that avoided
British Experience of Decolonization 3

conflict among colonial nations. The Berlin conference of 1884 to 1885 resulted in the partition
of Africa, where European nations drew political boundaries within which colonial powers could
administer (Roger & Robinson, 1982, p. 31). While these boundaries did not have major
implications during the colonial period, as colonies nations began gaining independence, major
problems began to emerge as a result of political boundaries. Africa and Asia are multi-ethnic
and multi-religious continents, and while drawing political borders in Africa and Asia European
nation nations had little knowledge of ethnic and religious boundaries. As a result, some groups
were partitioned in a way that promoted conflict among ethnicities and religious groups after
decolonization (Michalopoulos & Papaioannou, 2011, p. 561). An example of conflict arising
from British partition on is the India-Pakistan conflict where, as Britain set to grant
independence to India, an agreement to divide India into two territories based on religious
affiliation was struck, to protect India’s Muslim minority. In the agreement, India was to be
divided into 2 territories where Hindus and Sikhs remained in India while the region with the
Muslim majority became Pakistan (Richards, Waibel, & Paul, 2014, p. 229). As a result of
India's partition, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs began fighting each other resulting to an estimated
death toll of between 200,000 to 2, 000,000 people and a mass migration of people to places
they thought would be safe as territorial and religious skirmished continued (Ansari, 2107). As
well, the division of India affected Pakistan’s economic outcomes where despite having 23% of
the land mass, Pakistan received only 17.5% of the government's financial assets (Bates, 2011)
Similarly, in the partition of Africa, Europeans disregarded natural borders among
religious groups and ethnicities. Britain was known to use the “divide and rule policy” in Africa
where ethnic and tribal differences were compounded against them (Ylönen, 2017, p.130). In
Sudan, the British promoted distrust and fear between the Christian south and the Muslim Arabs
in the north and heightened the already existing ethnic and religious tensions (Michalopoulos &
Papaioannou, 2011, p. 561). Also, the British government neglected the South and accorded
Arab northerners’ political superiority. During decolonization, in granting power to the Arabs,
Britain did not make efforts to ensure the protection of southerners. As a result, Sudan
experienced decades of civil war as Southern Christians fought against the oppressive Arab
government culminating to the creation of the Republic of Southern Sudan (Ylönen, 2017, p.
145)
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During WW2, the British, facing a formidable enemy, Adolf Hitler, Britain began
enlisting soldiers from its colonies as soldiers who by fighting alongside the British against the
Germans created increased awareness of nationalism and sovereignty. They realized that Britain
was fighting for the sovereignty of the Jews and countries that Germany had invaded, which
contradicted the colonial policy and Britain’s colonial legitimacy. As such the war promoted the
spirit of nationalism among colonial subjects prompting them to increasingly seek independence
(Basil, 1994, p. 64).
The effect of the war was that Britain and other European nation’s experienced economic
and political weaknesses which made it difficult to continue maintaining their colonies.
According to Ibawoh (2017, p. 225), German war propaganda also pitted Africans against the
British, effectively weakening their rule. This, alongside the acquiring of western notions of
freedom and sovereignty, brought about nationalist leaders who campaigned for independence
mostly in peaceful ways where leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi pushed for independence
through peaceful protest. However in other areas such as Kenya armed conflict against British
rule emerged as Mau Mau rebellion saw the killing of settlers and pacifist tribes (Richards et al.,
2014, p. 231). While the British eventually defeated the rebellion, it was a major highlight at the
beginning of decolonization because it demonstrated to other Africans that the British could be
fought. Besides the high costs of the costs, the British realized they could no longer maintain
control without risking war and had to leave (Darwin, 2011)
After WW2, the British occupied Palestine and having as homeless Jewish population
from Germany, Britain created the nation Israel from Palestine in 1947 under the UN mandate.
This division was greatly detested by Arabs across the world culmination into the Arab-Jewish
war (Gelvin, 2014 p.129). With the support of the United States, Israel has grown into a strong
power. Some Muslims, citing the persecution of Arabs in Palestine have taken up arms against
Israel and its allies through terror, a major global concern today. Furthermore, by leaving
Palestinians stateless, the resulting Arab-Jewish conflict over territory has effectively created a
refugee problem in Palestine (Richards et al., 2014, p. 229).
Under pressure, Britain began granting African nations independence. Asians, especially
from India who had been brought into Africa as laborers by the British, were faced with security
concerns as minorities. Case in point, in Kenya, the government actively sought to drive Asians
from important economic positions. Some of the Asians were stateless while others were denied
British Experience of Decolonization 5

the renewal of work permits. As such, the British government was prompted to allow minorities
from its former colonies to immigrate to Britain (Eley, 2010, p. 311). In this regard
decolonization brought about race issues in both Britain and in its former colonies (Dean, 1978,
p. 320). In Britain, racism emerged as Britain began restricting Asians with British passports
from entering into Britain in line with the Commonwealth Immigrant Act of 1968 as race
hysteria grew. As a result, more than 200,000 individuals with only British citizenship were left
stateless. While some Asians and minorities were granted citizenship in British colonies such as
Kenya, they faced racial discrimination and little social acceptance (Hansen, 1999, p. 810).
Similarly, colonization saw the exportation of laborers from colonial nations to Britain
during WW2. Moreover, British settlers dominated local economies in the colonies
decolonization caused economic hardships after independence, forcing Africans to immigrate to
Britain (McBride, 2011 p. 51). This and the liberation of British slaves meant that Britain had
become a multiracial society. However, due to racism, minority racial groups did not enjoy the
rights and privileges enjoyed by British Whites (Dean, 1978, p. 311).
Political forces influenced decolonization. The United States, a former British colony was
founded on a political model of popular sovereignty. Consequently, the United States was
against colonialism and pressured for sovereignty and self-determination (Strang, 1990 p. 430)
by the end of WW2, the United States had become an outstanding global power as Britain
became weak and increasingly reliant on the United States for protection. In 1941, Britain and
the United States signed the Atlantic Charter, which was that was based on the principle of self-
government, ultimately making decolonization inevitable (Richards et al. 2014, p. 229).
The emergence of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union greatly
influenced decolonization as well. On the one hand, the United States promoted capitalism while
the Soviet Union subscribed to communist principles. Some nationalist leaders began aligning
themselves with the opposing nations where others chose non-alignment. The United States
feared losing colonial states to the Soviet Union, thus pressured Britain to decolonize as the best
way of forging an alliance between the West and colonized nations (Richards et al., 2014, p 239).
In effect, Britain began the gradual process of decolonization beginning with the training of
future African administrators since Africans were considered inexperienced in government. The
result was the emergence of western-educated elite such as Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of
Kenya (Richards et al., 2014, p 230). Since the transfer of power was not based on democratic
British Experience of Decolonization 6

elections, it set a precedence where dictatorships and coups have been of common occurrence in
Africa. In India on the other hand, independence was granted through democratic elections in
1951. As a result, India ended up becoming the world’s largest democracy (Bates, 2011).
Decolonization saw the gradual reduction in the economic exploitation of other territories
by the British. As a result, Britain became increasingly weaker in comparison to other states and
lost her status as the world's most powerful country to the United States. In effect, until today
Britain remains allied to the United States and partly relied on her for protection against the
Soviet Union. As a result of decolonization, the Commonwealth market lost its position as the
largest to European markets.
The Suez Canal, a strategic shipping route, which provides access to India and to cheap
oil from the Middle East, has contested in the past. After the British granted in independence to
Egypt in 1922 by never relinquished the Suez region. Alongside Israel, and France Britain
attacked Egypt after President Nasser nationalized the canal in 1956. The attempt was a failure
and was internationally condemned by other nations including the United States (Richards et al.,
p. 229). The effect of the failure illustrated the loss of Britain's dominance as a global power and
illustrated her weakness. After the defeat, Israel shifted her alliance to the United States, which
further made Britain weaker in maintaining is because of decrease income for the British
government, as local proletariat created rival industries while commodity prices fell.
As illustrated, decolonization had a significant impact on both the colonized and the
colonized with issues such as ethic and border conflicts at the center stage. Decolonization also
saw mass immigration of people from different background to form multiethnic communities.
Decolonization had both positive and negative impacts which depend on how it was conducted in
some areas such as India for instance; it brought about democracy while in Israel it contributed to
the war. In all, decolonization can be said to have led to increased peace.
British Experience of Decolonization 7

REFERENCES

Ansari, S. 2018, How the Partition of India happened – and why its effects are still felt
today. The Conversation. Retrieved from: https://theconversation.com/how-the-partition-
of-india-happened-and-why-its-effects-are-still-felt-today-81766 [Accessed December
11, 2018]
Basil, D. 1994,‘The Second World War, 1939-1945,’ Modern Africa: A Social and Political
History, (1994): 65
Bates, C. 2011, The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies. Retrieved from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/partition1947_01.shtml [Accessed 8 Dec.
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Darwin J. 2011, Britain, the Commonwealth and the End of Empire.Retrieved from:
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