Chapter 23
Postcolonial Nations in Asia and Latin America
Chapter Summary
At the end of World War II, most of the colonial countries found themselves too
exhausted to oppose the demands for independence and national sovereignty emanating
from the colonized regions of the world. Only France, Portugal, and the Netherlands
resisted the independence movements of their colonies. The demise of the British empire
in Asia gave birth to the new nations of India, Pakistan, Bengal, Burma, and Malaysia.
The partition of India into two nations, one Hindu and one Muslim, set the stage for
recurring conflict between India and Pakistan. Although India made astonishing
economic advances in the decades after independence, much of its population remained
poor. Pakistan also struggled to overcome poverty, and its history has been further
complicated by the dominance of the military in its political life. A repressive military
also shaped Burma’s postcolonial experience. Malaysia, despite ethnic tensions, made
steady economic progress until late in the twentieth century. Indonesia and Indochina’s
transitions from colonialism to independence were less peaceful than the formerly British
colonies. After a bloody struggle against a communist insurgency, Indonesia made the
transition to a more democratic form of government, only to face further troubles from
Muslim extremists. Vietnam’s search for independence lasted for two and a half decades
and involved a war with both the French and the United States. The Philippines too
fought against the imperialism of the United States throughout much of the century. Latin
America, independent for nearly a century and a half at the end of WWII, continued to
struggle against the legacy of colonialism. Economic crises, American imperialism, and
the rise of authoritarian regimes troubled the region in the latter half of the twentieth
century. At the start of the twenty-first century, democracy had flowered around the
region, but remained fragile.
Chapter Outline
23.114 The Emergence of Independent Nations in South Asia
a. The End of British Rule
i. Partition of India
ii. Nehru’s paternalism
iii. Neutralism and nonalignment
b. Nehru’s Successors
i. Indira Gandhi
ii. Hindu revivalism
iii. Congress party reforms
iv. Nuclear concerns
c. Fifty Years of Independence
i. A land of contradictions
ii. The status of women
iii. The invisible majority
d. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan
i. Bengali secession and war
ii. Political disarray and financial straits
23.115 The Emergence of Independent Nations in Southeast Asia
a. The Union of Burma (Myanmar)
i. Burmese independence
ii. Isolation and repression
b. Malaysia
i. Economic growth
c. Indonesia
i. A large, multi-ethnic country
ii. Sukarno’s “guided democracy”
iii. Suharto’s war on the Communists
iv. An impressive economy
v. Spread of corruption
vi. Suharto ousted
vii. Steps toward democracy
d. The Independence Movement in Indochina
i. Communism and imperialism
e. The Americans and the Philippines
i. Transition to independence
ii. Marcos as president
iii. American withdrawal
23.116 Changing Latin America
a. The Colonial Experience and the Wars for Independence
i. Spanish colonialism
ii. The colonial economy
iii. Latin American independence
iv. Dependency
b. The Colossus to the North
i. The Monroe Doctrine
c. Economic Growth and Its Problems
i. Alliance for Progress
ii. Debt and inflation
iii. A lost decade
iv. Population growth
d. End of Yankee Imperialism?
i. American interventions
ii. Growing sense of interdependence
e. The Political Systems and Conflicts in Latin American Societies
i. Cycles of reform and repression
ii. Cuba and Castro
f. Mexico and Brazil at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century
g. The Advance of Latin American Democracy
i. A diverse region
ii. Democracy emergent and receding
iii. A mixed record
Learning Objectives
Chapter 23 teaches students about:
1. the origins of the term “Third World,” and developing countries’ positions of
nonalignment in the Cold War.
2. the social and economic problems that challenged the world’s new nations, in
particular the difficulties entailed in modernization.
3. the impact of the end of British rule in South Asia and the contentious issues
surrounding the partition and the subsequent founding of both India and Pakistan.
4. the differing experiences of democracy in India and military dictatorship in
Pakistan.
5. processes of independence in Southeast Asia, and the differing trajectories of
Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Indochina, and the Philippines.
6. Latin America’s difficulties with the legacy of colonialism, continuing
imperialism, and economic crises.
Lecture/Discussion Topics
1. Why did WWII reinforce nationalist movements for independence in colonized
countries? Why did many colonial powers concede independence readily and
peacefully after the war?
2. Why did the partition of India lead to tragedy? Could the violence that
accompanied the attack have been avoided?
3. How did religious tensions undermine political stability and interrupt the rule of
the Congress party in India?
4. What kinds of contradictions characterize life in modern India? How would you
explain India’s inability to overcome some of these contradictions?
5. Compare Pakistan’s political experiences to India’s. How did the Cold War
exacerbate political tensions within Pakistan?
6. How did religious tensions and the military shape the course of politics in Burma
after its independence in 1948?
7. How did colonialism create the ethnic tensions that delayed Malaysia’s
independence?
8. Compare the efforts of the former colonies of the British empire to modernize
their economies. Which of these nations had proved most successful, and why?
What are some of the difficulties that have made modernization so difficult a
task?
9. How were the Communists oppressed in Indonesia? How did anti-communism
help this populous, multi-ethnic country? How did anti-communism possibly hurt
Indonesia’s development and lead to Suharto’s downfall?
10. Discuss the course of Indonesian politics after Suharto. In what ways did
Indonesia become more democratic following Suharto’s downfall?
11. What role did communism play in Vietnam’s struggle for independence?
12. How did the Philippines fare after independence? Why did anti-communism
discourage democracy there?
13. What has been the impact of Muslim extremists and secessionists in Indonesia
and the Philippines? How have these two nations dealt with these groups?
14. What legacy did colonialism leave in Latin America? In what ways did Latin
American republics continue to experience imperialism after independence?
15. What economic problems have Latin American countries confronted in the
twentieth century? Had they made progress in overcoming those problems by the
end of the century?
16. Why did Latin American countries experience cycles of reform and repression
over the course of the twentieth century? What do you think the legacy of these
experiences has been for Latin American societies?
17. Compare and contrast the political and economic experiences of Mexico and
Brazil in the twentieth century. Why have many Mexicans and Brazilians found
left-leaning politics appealing?
18. In what ways did democracy in Latin America prove fragile at the end of the
twentieth century?
Multimedia Resources
Web Sources
1. The following sites contain links to extensive collections of primary source
documents from twentieth century Asian history.
http://www.isop.ucla.edu/eas/documents/doc-index.htm
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/eastasia/eastasiasbook.html#Other%20East%20A
sian%20Countries
2. This link takes readers to declassified documents compiled by Peter Kornbluh
during his extensive research on U.S. involvement in Chile’s coup and subsequent
dirty war.
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB8/nsaebb8i.htm