From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Decolonization
is when a
colony
of any country becomes independent. Thus, decolonization is the opposite of
colonization
. Sometimes, a colony may not get full freedom, but may become part of another country or even the part of the country which colonized it. This is also decolonization.
In some cases, decolonization may result after non-violent discussion. In a relatively small number of cases, decolonization happens only after armed struggle and revolt. Decolonization is different from the break-up of traditional empires like the
Mongol Empire
or the
Ottoman Empire
. Decolonization generally means independence of non-Europeans from European rule. Thus, the break-up of the
Union of Sweden and Norway
and the independence of
Manchukuo
from the
Empire of Japan
were not decolonization. Major decolonization occurred in the
20th century
. It began with the independence of
Pakistan
and
India
in 1947 from the
British Empire
. Soon after, many countries of
Africa
became
independent
from the rule of many
suzerainty
countries of
Europe
.