Hello,
It appears there are no options provided; Luckily, I have found the actual question online and will explain it here.
So the question goes like this:
Respect for human rights - (Option 1)
anti-colonial feelings - (Option 2)
economic growth in Africa - (Option 3)
economic growth in Europe - (Option 4)
US and European war debts - (Option 5)
Answer:
So, essentially, out of all these answers, the correct one would be US and European ware debts (O5), respect for human rights (O1), and anti-colonial feelings (O2). These were the reasons for decolonization.
<h2>
How did the end of WW2 lead to decolonization?</h2>
The Beginnings of Decolonization (1918-1945)
The statement that "For the colonial countries the cost of liberty or triumph over Germany was the progressive dismantling of their colonial empires" truly raises some doubts in my mind. Many historians now concur that decolonization was already in progress prior to World War 2. A watershed event could be more likely to occur during World War 1. (if one is required to understand decolonisation). In the 1920s, Ireland gained its independence from Britain, while in the Middle East, the old Ottoman provinces were being liberated from colonial rule.
In Britain, outdated ways of controlling colonial territory typically took the form of "Indirect rule." When the British used indigenous leaders to manage a colony, they gave them a certain measure of autonomy. Theoretically, this helped because less money was required to run the colony. Fewer (expensive) British officers were needed on the ground because the organization was mostly run by local collaborators. In reality, a large portion of Africa was stateless, and the nations that did emerge sometimes lacked complete dominance. The British frequently had to construct leaders and customs in order to keep the peace. As a result, their subjects frequently did not respect their chiefs.
After World War One, managing colonies under this system of governance grew more and more challenging. At the time, it was asserted that a generation of British leaders had been lost to the war's enormous death toll. It is hard to predict what would have occurred if they had survived, although in certain situations, colonies lacked personnel due to a lack of men for colonial missions and the necessity for them at home. The British colonial system was in many respects broken and in many more ways unsustainable by the 1940s.
Post War Decolonization (1945-independence)
A catalyst of sorts for the decolonization of Africa was World War 2. Africans first saw Europeans during the Second World War who had educational levels comparable to or lower than their own and who did not belong to the so-called "elite" that comprised the colonial officers of the Empire. A colonial commander named Sylvia Leith-Ross said that Africans witnessed both the destruction of Europeans' affluent towns as well as the widespread murdering of Europeans by other Europeans during World War 2. This dealt the European hegemony a serious blow.
One may argue that the 1956 Suez Crisis marked the beginning of the end. "Suez has not so much transformed our fortunes as revealed facts," said the time's prime minister Anthony Eden. The British Empire was already in decline, but the extent of this collapse became clear when Britain was compelled to withdraw (together with France and Israel) from a much smaller nation (Egypt) at the USSR and USA's request. Britain was obliged to reconsider its position since it was unable to exert its influence as much on the global stage.
With the emergence of several political parties and the use of violence by some groups to further their objectives, unrest in the colonies grew increasingly frequent. As an example, Kenya experienced significant problems following the Mau Mau Kikuyu revolt. Unhappy with their position in the Kenyan economic system, the Kikuyu organized armed organizations that made an effort to challenge British authority in the region. Because of the Kikuyu insurrection, the British were obliged to punish Africans harshly, using tactics that were frequently denounced internationally. Mau Mau cost the British money as well; colonies were meant to be lucrative, not costly.
Conclusion
As already mentioned, World War 2 served as more of a catalyst than an actual beginning to decolonization. Nationalism and colonial instability were already driving forces behind the decolonization process. During the interwar years, European colonial powers began to wane (as the USA and USSR grew stronger). The Second World War fundamentally altered the European superiority narrative that had been engrained in colonial life and may have demonstrated to African independence movements that the colonial powers might be defeated.
Cheers!
