Decolonization and the Congo Crisis Flashcards
What complicated features and motivations undergirded the European colonial system ?
In what ways did WWII weaken the colonial system and its principal foundations ?
Why was the immediate postwar period so critical in terms of setting the stage for decolonization and cutting the chains of colonial dependence ?
What were the characteristics of native nationalism and colonial resistance to European rule before WWII ? What forms did it take ? Who were the nationalist leaders ? Why did such movements fail to seriously challenge European control over foreign colonies ?
Why did the process of decolonization manifest differently in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa ?
How did Japan’s East Asia war undermine European postwar colonial reconstruction ?
Why did the independence of India in 1947 in particular exercise such a profound influence upon the process of decolonization globally ? What other international events set the stage for Sub-Saharan Africa’s rapid decolonization ?
What was it about Gandhi’s formula for non-violent resistance, satyagraha, that proved so effective at cutting the bonds of colonialism ?
How was Nkrumah’s emergence as head of state significant in terms of decolonization in Africa ? What were some of the unique circumstances that prevailed in sub-Saharan Africa and made independence there both very rapid and inauspicious ?
Why was Lumumba’s 1960 speech marking independence so controversial even among his supporters ?
In many ways Tshombe, Lumumba, Mobutu and Kasavubu symbolize the split personality of Sub-Saharan Africa to embark on the path towards postcolonial development ? Why did African leaders struggle to build viable states and stable economies following the independence in the 1960s ?
How does the rise of Mobutu in the Congo symbolize how the Cold War circuited Africa’s postcolonial history and the dreams of reformers like Nkrumah and Lumumba ?
