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2008 GCE A Level Question: How far was the process of decolonisation affected by the Cold War?
Approach:
The question requires students to compare and contrast the different approaches of the
colonial powers towards decolonisation in the context of the Cold War. It therefore requires
an understanding of the whole spectrum of the impact of the Cold War on the decolonisation
process in the various colonies and should not just be an essay on the different reasons for
decolonisation.
Stronger answers would be able to provide an in-depth explanation of how decolonisation in
some countries like Vietnam and Indonesia was affected by the Cold War more acutely than
others like Burma where the transfer of control was shaped less by the geopolitical and
ideological battle for global power between the US and the USSR than by the efforts of
indigenous leaders.
INTRODUCTION
Timeframe/Terminal Dates: The period after 1945
Key Words: How far to examine the degree of the impact. The degree of impact has to be weighed
against other forces which shaped the process of decolonisation.
Affected by the Cold War The geopolitical and ideological struggle between the US and the USSR
and its implications for the decolonisation process by shaping the policies of both superpowers.
BODY
Argument :
In some colonies, the Cold War did work in favour of a swift transfer of power to an indigenous
government when such a change involved the US supporting moderate nationalist leaders whose rapid
consolidation was needed to prevent more leftist elements from gaining ground. This also changed the
process from one mired in conflict to one where independence was eventually secured through
negotiations.
Case Study: Indonesia
The US dropped its support of the Dutch
government; its focus on regaining control of the
countrys raw materials left the country divided
and susceptible to leftist subversion. In 1948,
after the Madiun Rebellion involving army units
and sympathizers of the reconstituted
Communist Party (PKI), the US dropped its
support for the Dutch and instead supported
Sukarno, Hatta and forced the Dutch to
eventually relinquish colonial control. The
Dutch were forced to negotiate for independence
with UN pressure at the 1949 Round Table
Conference.
Case Study: The Philippines
The growing influence of the leftist Huks who led
the anti-Japanese resistance and their desire for
political representation offered the prospect of
renewed divisions and upheavals in Philippine
society. To avert such a scenario, the US provided
for a swift transfer of power to the pre-war
Manila elite who took power soon after the end
of the war. The Huks position in the political
system was soon marginalised.

Case Study: Indonesia (linked to the European situation)
The US did not attach the same level of importance to the position of the Netherlands in the Cold War
struggle in Europe as compare to France. Washingtons position was that Dutch interests/American
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interests would be better served by the Hagues focus on post-war economic recovery at home than
embroilment in a colonial war overseas. This motivated the US to put pressure on the Netherlands
increasingly by the end of the conflict in Indonesia to relinquish control.
Argument:
Even in cases when the pace and process of decolonisation was as not as rapid, it must be noted the
Cold War still exerted an impact, albeit a more indirect one on the process.
Case Study: Malaya
The granting of independence by the British was a long drawn-out process based largely on
constitutional reforms. Here the pace of decolonisation seemed to be influenced by the particular
characteristics of the Malayan political landscape. While it may be said that the process was partly
affected by the desired assurance for more unity of purpose among the Malay and Chinese
communities, the Cold War did have some bearing on the decision for independence. In Malayas
case, the period of the Emergency, when the British fought a twelve year battle with the Communist
insurgents, convinced them that the only way to repudiate the cause of the Malayan Communist
Party was to grant independence, thereby stripping them of their front as an anti-colonial
movement. Hence, while the Malayan case shows the colonial authorities did not react from any
explicit reactions to Cold War tensions nor were they affected by the polarisation of ideologies
taking effect (as in the case of Vietnam), the fact that the British did contest Communism still showed
decolonisation was still somewhat influenced by the Cold War context in which it occurred.
Argument:
However, it must be noted that while the Cold War served to accelerate the pace of decolonisation in
some colonies, in many instances, the transfer of power was retarded or delayed because of such Cold
War tensions.
Case Study: Vietnam
Concerned with the prospect of Communist
expansionism in Southeast Asia, the US
intervened in the decolonisation process in
Vietnam. They were also motivated by recent
developments such as the collapse of the
Nationalist regime in China and outbreak of the
Korean War. Providing economic and military
aid to the beleaguered French colonial
administration in its conflict with the
Communist DRV led by Ho Chi Minh. American
intervention in Vietnam had the effect of
prolonging the life of the colonial regime and
complicating the process of decolonisation.
Case Study: Vietnam (Context linked to the
European situation)
The US was at the same time wary of
antagonising those Allied leaders especially
Britain and France whose support in Western
Europe against an advancing Soviet threat was a
main priority. In this case, the Cold War did not
in fact work to accelerate the process of
decolonisation since the US exercised more
tolerance of such powers efforts to restore their
colonial control. American support and need of
France as a bulwark in the Cold War theatre in
Europe also motivated its decision to support
French colonial presence in Vietnam.
Argument: In other colonies, the process of decolonisation was less affected by the Cold War as the
role played by the nationalists determined its nature and outcome.
Case Study: Burma
The war and Occupation had led to the
development of an armed mass-based, national
front organisation, the AFFPL under the
leadership of Aung San. It was able to
consolidate its position within the colony that
the British under Mountbatten acknowledged
Case Study: Malaya
The British decision to work with the non-
confrontational nationalist leaders headed by the
United Malays Nation Organisation (UMNO) and
the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA), led to a
series of constitutional reforms finally
culminating in the granting of independence in
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the need to work with the nationalists and bring
them into the political process. This set the tone
for the series of negotiations between the British
and the Burmese nationalists that culminated in
the extension of independence in 1948.
1957. This was also made possible by the ability
of the nationalist leaders to fashion an inter-
ethnic compromise on Malay hold on political
power in exchange for Chinese hold on economic
power which convinced the British to transfer
sovereignty to what they saw as a sustainable
future for Malaya.
Case Study: Indonesia
It could also be argued that the Republican
government headed by Sukarno and Hatta were
able to adeptly use a combination of diplomacy
and armed struggle which in the end increased
the costs of restoring control for the
Netherlands. This also influenced the process of
decolonisation in Indonesia to move from
confrontation to negotiations increasingly after
1948.

Argument: The external environment characterised by developments in the metropole as well as
international bodies shaping opinion and exercising its influence on various colonial powers also
affected the decolonisation process.
Case Study: Burma
The deterioration of the position in India
necessitated a reappraisal of Burmas
importance to Britain. In addition, the Labour
government which took power after 1945 was
also focused more on economic recovery and
reconstruction than the maintenance of empire.
This motivated the British to seek a gradual
retreat from empire after the Second World War.
Role of the United Nations
Of significance is its Declaration Regarding Non
self-governing Territories which placed colonial
issues within the international public domain and
established the right of the organized
international community to monitor and evaluate
the activities of colonial administrations. The US
also used its influence within the UN to put
pressure on colonial powers to give up their
colonies as in the case of Indonesia.
Case Study: Cambodia and Laos
The decolonisation process in Cambodia was
helped in part by the deteriorating situation in
Vietnam and the role of the Sihanouk. The
transfer of power took place as a result of
negotiations. The independence of both colonies
was recognised at the 1954 Geneva Conference
which spelt the end of the French empire in
Southeast Asia. Even before this, Paris was
already reeling from various crises as
governments struggled to find a solution to the
long-drawn conflict which was turning public
opinion against them.
Case Study: Vietnam
The decolonisation process did not end with the
Geneva Conference but prolonged and shaped its
eventual course. The Conference did not bring
about a complete independence settlement for
Vietnam. The temporary partition of the colony
became permanent as the US replaced France as
the supporter of a new South Vietnamese regime
and prevented the reunification of the country
for another 20 years. The DRV had now to fight a
new war against new colonial power.





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