Decolonization: Definitions, Waves, and Impacts

Definition of decolonization and colonialism

Decolonization is the ending of colonialism. Colonialism is the process in which imperial powers establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The term “decolonization” is contested in meaning and application: some scholars emphasize independence movements in colonies and the collapse of global colonial empires, while others also include broader political, cultural, and intellectual undoing of colonial legacies. As a political process, decolonization is commonly linked to self-determination. One view (cited in the text) holds that decolonization is achieved through attaining sovereign statehood with international legal recognition, or through full incorporation into an existing sovereign state. The United Nations frames self-determination as the core requirement and notes that it can be exercised with or without formal political independence; it also characterizes colonial foreign rule as a human-rights violation. The text further notes that decolonization has occurred in major waves: beginning with the American Revolution (1775), continuing through 19th-century independence struggles, accelerating after World War I, expanding after World War II, and continuing after the Cold War with the collapse of the Soviet Union and later territorial handovers.

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Disputed meanings and scholarly focus

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