Decolonization of The World
Authors: Ryan Arif, Zach Dunn, Jonathan Simmons,Simon Seely
Indian Subcontinent
In Amritsar,319 Indians, some Hindu and some Muslim, were killed by British General Dyer during a peaceful protest in a city park. They were speaking against the capture of two of their leaders who also were only protesting, had no weapons, and were surprised by the attack. Because the park had walls around it, there was no way to run from the attack. When news of the killing spread, Indians joined with the others to help.
During the 1920s, Mohandas Gandhi became the the groups most important leader and organized huge protests against British rule. Instead of fighting with weapons, Gandhi's followers had demonstrations and didn't help British governments. They wouldn't buy British things and wouldn't work for the British. Gandhi's teachings inspired Martin Luther King Jr.
At the same time Hindus and Muslims were fighting more. They worked together against the British, but they found it hard to get along with each other. Gandhi didn't want them to fight. In the 1920s Gandhi tried to get them to stop. Instead, the Muslim League created a Muslim country, Pakistan.
Independence Won: Nations Two
Africa
Rwanda: Race Killings
The Apartheid
In 1910, the Union of South Africa was formed from two British colonies & two Dutch Boer republics, and black folk were excluded from politics. In 1923, black people were segregated from white people in housing areas. In 1926, blacks were further segregated by not being allowed to work in places white people wanted for themselves. How greedy! In 1931 South Africa was free from Britain! Sadly, this didn't change the segregation. instead, the apartheid was created. The majority of the population was, by far, black, but were even further segregated by setting aside separate land for black people. Obviously, the black majority hated the way they were being treated, so they fought back. During the 1950s, Nelson Mandela lead the African National Congress to attempt to abolish apartheid. At first, peaceful protest, like with Gandhi, was encouraged, but after 67 peaceful protesters were massacred in Sharpeville, the African National Congress resorted to violence. Nelson Mandela was arrested, and eventually, in 1990, the apartheid crumbled with the government.