Post World War 2 Dbq Essay

The era following the Second World War was marked by a dramatic change in the world order as countries across Africa, Asia, and Central America underwent independence movements that completely upended their political systems. The war had left the world in shambles and the widespread beliefs in Social Darwinism and the concept of a ‘superior race’ that were originally used to justify European rule in foreign areas were challenged. The political climate also changed over the span of World War 2, especially in the weakening of the imperial power’s rule as well as the newfound sense of nationalism that had been sparked in dozens of countries. People wanted change to happen in their country and supported leaders and organizations that pursued independence

Ghana fought for Independence; the movement being led by Kwame Nkrumah. He believed that the land did not belong to the European’s, so they wanted freedom from their rule. The British ended up approving Ghana’s cries for independence and by 1957 they were free from British rule. ( Doc. 6 ) In Kenya, their president Jomo Kenyatta led their fight for independence from the Europeans. He, too, believed that the land did not belong to the Europeans so he was willing to fight for the land back, so Kenya could be a sovereign nation. ( Doc. 5 ) Daniel Arap Moi succeeded him, following Kenyatta’s passing in 1978. Moi knew Kenyatta well and was his vice president for years, being active since back when there were discussions with the British for Kenyan independence years prior. ( New Leaders of Nations ) Kenya and Ghana both were aiming to change the external pressures that were influencing their countries. Both countries felt very strongly about ending colonialism in Africa and had leaders who brought them to

The UN adopted a declaration in which the main point was to maintain world peace through ending colonialism and giving groups the rights to self-determine. ( Doc. 1 ) A Vietnamese nationalist named Ho Chi Minh had a goal to take back his country from European colonialists. They, like many other countries, had been ruled under European powers for years and were unhappy. Ho Chi Minh wanted the people of Vietnam to fight for their common goal. ( Doc. 2 ) Mohandas Gandhi also worked towards independence for his country but his method was slightly different. Gandhi followed passive indifference, which was a method where people had to sacrifice themselves to make change. ( Doc. 3 ) One of Indonesia’s most prominent leaders, Suharto, also dedicated himself to uniting Indonesia under its own rule, without colonial inclusions. He was similar to these other countries in that he wanted Indonesia to be a self-determined country, and not under the rule of some other powerful nation. ( New Leaders of Nations ) Although they all had the same end goal, these countries and organizations had slightly different approaches to those in