Definition of decolonization and colonialism

Summary

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.

Key Points

• 1

  Colonialism is defined as imperial powers establishing and dominating foreign territories; decolonization is the ending of that colonial rule.

• 2

  Decolonization is closely tied to self-determination, often involving sovereign statehood or incorporation into another state, and may occur with or without formal independence.

• 3

  The text describes multiple historical waves of decolonization, including after the American Revolution, after World War I, after World War II, and after the Cold War.