7/7 AP World History DBQ Essay Example #6

The Prompt

The Essay

Between the period of 1945 to 1991, most large empires were focused on large-scale decolonization. This in part resulted from the ending of WWII, with several nations promising freedom for sending soldiers. This also took part because of the spread of enlightenment and democratic ideals to constituent nations. However, the ending of WWII and spread of nationalism were not the only cause of decolonization. The Cold war also played a major role in starting much of the armed decolonization that occurred. Overall, the Cold War had great effects on starting the process of decolonization, as best seen through ideological differences, international pressure, and proxy wars. Firstly, the Cold War facilitated decolonization through ideological differences. The main difference that promoted decolonization was the belief in democratic principles, however many eastern nations promoted communist ideals. This fundamental difference had a chokehold on the decolonization process. Alternatively, in places like India there were religious differences that prompted decolonization, namely the Hindu/Muslim differences (Doc 3). This resulted in the creation of the Pakistani state, quelling many ongoing conflicts. Alternatively, there had been arguments for unity since the early 20th century, with prominent Indian politicians claiming that the shared Indian culture and nationalism would promote the creation of a free and powerful single-state (Doc 6). However, the Indian author’s position in the congress likely biased this source towards unity, as being nearly half a century before the partition, led to belief in the power of unity. Overall, Indian decolonization is a prime example of both religious and political differences in ideology. Secondly, international pressures throughout the cold war led to many empires decolonizing. The most prominent of these pressures was the UN, creating ubiquitous articles and statements arguing for the freedom and sovereignty of their nations (Doc 1). This pressure led to many nations accelerating their decolonization process, as the UN was a powerful ally in the period. Furthering this, the war in French Indochina led to nations like Singapore releasing international statements explaining the pressures from communism and the need for free and democratic policy (Doc 5). Statements such as these led to foreign intervention, with the East largely allying to support communist backed regimes, whilst the US and France were generally fighting to preserve free ideals. Conversely, international pressures to decolonize led to resistance from some empires reliant on their imperial holdings (Doc 2). This was best seen in Britain, with ministers and politicians fighting to keep their colonial holdings, making promises to control them democratically, and furthering their ‘proxy state’ status. This statement from a British minister greatly highlights how the British political system was focused in the period- showing the reliance on proxy states to maintain their imperial strength. Furthermore, the worries that decolonization would weaken empires were at the forefront of numerous nation’s decolonization -or resistance- plans. Overall, international pressure had a great effect on decolonization efforts across the globe. Lastly, proxy wars were at the center of armed decolonization across the globe, highlighting the impact of the Cold War. This was best seen in the Second Indochina (Vietnam) war, highlighting the struggle between communist supported regimes and democratic supported regimes. This resulted in an armed conflict in which the communist backed Viet Cong eventually won out through their usage of guerilla warfare. Furthermore, conflicts in Algeria led to French diplomats realizing the lack of relations with their imperial holdings created the downfall of their empire (Doc 4). This French downfall was a direct result of proxy wars, as the French generally supported democratic ideals, and got involved to protect them for their constituent states. However, the journalist’s point of view likely skews this belief toward popular opinion in urban France of the period. This furthers the nationalist beliefs in France, explaining how to rebuild their great imperial empire after decolonization. However, southeast Asia was not the only place proxy wars took place, with communist propaganda being used to showcase the power that India, China, and African states had over western powers (Doc 7). These proxy wars were generally more ideological however, with states like India fighting for their own democratic government with religious freedom. Conversely, China was trying to push out western powers to reclaim their lost sovereignty at their entry-points lost to unfair treaties. However, China ultimately fell to communism due to the close proximity of the USSR, and desire to end their century of humiliation. Overall, proxy wars played a huge role in decolonizing during the cold war. In conclusion, much of decolonization was caused by cold war beliefs- largely through ideological struggles, international pressures, and proxy wars. This was seen best through religious debates resulting in the partition of India, which largely attempted to quell the potential for religious genocides. Another good example is the two wars in French Indochina, with the first being claimed as a mission to preserve democracy, and the second being a direct proxy was between the US and USSR. Overall, the cold war was one of the biggest players in decolonizing imperial holdings, thus ending the era of empires.

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