Decolonisation
Within thirty years, most of the world stops being ruled by Europe.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 30 years
- Known to
- ± 1 year
- Era
- Contemporary, Holocene
Between 1945 and 1975 more than fifty states gain independence and the number of UN members triples. Some transitions are negotiated, as in Ghana in 1957; others are wars, as in Algeria, Kenya, Vietnam, Angola and Indonesia. 1960 alone sees seventeen African states become independent. The borders inherited are colonial ones, the economies are structured for extraction, and the Cold War immediately makes many of the new states proxies.