---
title: "Decolonisation and New Nations"
description: "Between 1945 and the 1970s dozens of colonies became independent countries, by negotiation, by mass campaign, and by armed struggle. Independence settled who governed, and left borders, economies and "
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/decolonisation-and-new-nations-mt_VWuBm6iRmI
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/decolonisation-and-new-nations-mt_VWuBm6iRmI.md
retrieved: 2026-09-12
---

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# Decolonisation and New Nations

Between 1945 and the 1970s dozens of colonies became independent countries, by negotiation, by mass campaign, and by armed struggle. Independence settled who governed, and left borders, economies and old obligations still to argue about.

Subject: History · Area: The Modern World · Ages 15 to 16
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/decolonisation-and-new-nations-mt_VWuBm6iRmI

## Ready when they can

- Name two routes to independence and say what each demanded of the colonial power
- Explain why a border drawn by an empire can cause trouble after independence
- Give one country's independence date and say which power it became independent from
- Say why political independence did not automatically bring economic independence

## Lesson: New flags, old borders

Between 1945 and the 1970s dozens of colonies became countries. Some won freedom by negotiation, some by mass campaigns of strikes and marches, and some by guerrilla war. Each route set different terms with the old ruler, so you should always ask which mix won a nation's freedom and what it cost.

New flags did not fix old maps. Borders drawn in European offices split peoples apart or trapped rivals inside one state, storing up conflict. That is why the world holds far more countries now than in 1900, yet many of them still argue over lines they did not draw.

**Example.** Compare four cases. India won freedom in 1947 from Britain through mass nonviolent pressure plus negotiation, though partition with Pakistan came at terrible cost. Algeria fought a brutal eight-year war against France before 1962, Vietnam beat France then split and fought on, and Nigeria shows the negotiated path with rivalries bottled inside one state.

**Tip.** Independence settled who sat in the capital, but debts, trade ties, military bases, and foreign firms kept profits flowing outward. Both superpowers also armed and funded clients, bending local struggles. So political freedom did not automatically bring economic freedom.

**Recap.** Colonies became countries by talks, campaigns, or arms, yet old borders, debts, and meddling shaped what freedom meant.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Empire and Its Costs](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/empire-and-its-costs-mt_i3Yw06vg5I)
- [The Cold War](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/the-cold-war-mt_vod9wscQjU)

## Opens up

- [Independence in Latin America](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/independence-in-latin-america-mt_pQVJQQrKvm)
- [Civil Rights and Equal Citizenship](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/civil-rights-and-equal-citizenship-mt_t4C-tlQd04)