CH. 23: THE INDEPENDENCE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH

TOWARD FREEDOM: STRUGGLES FOR INDEPENDENCE

The first step towards independence is the collapse of the colonizing empires. The Austrian and Ottoman Empire ended after World War I. The Russian empire was brought down by the Soviet Union. The Japanese and German Empire ended after World War II. Inspired by the revolutions that were spurting in different areas at the time, nationalist movements in the colonized territories became the source of determination to gain independence. National self-determination was the power behind the Mexican Revolution, the Cuban Revolution, and even in the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The author of the book described the end of the European empires as an almost "natural phenomenon". It was destined to collapse. He described in such a way because 1: It is only natural for human beings to want to control themselves, and 2: Nationalism, where once again, people from the colonized territories wanted to express their culture and national identity that was suppressed and replaced with that of the Colonizing Empire's. The author also stated that when the European empire, it was its time to collapse. The US and Soviet Union has overpowered the European Empire and the UN formed an anti-colonial agitation platform.
Behind newly gained independence were the "fathers" of their new countries like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Neru, Ho Chi Minh and Nelson Mandela. One similarity that these founding fathers have is that they were all from the "educated few" of their country.

COMPARING FREEDOM STRUGGLES

The Case of India: Ending British Rule
The group that started the independence from British rule movement in India is the Indian National Congress (INC) and was lead by Mohandas Gandhi. Gandhi was a firm believer of the "satyagraha", which means "truth force", and calls for an active and confrontational yet non-violent political action. His leadership was unique in a way that he was able to gain supporters from the opposing groups of peasants, intellectuals and artisans, capitalists and socialists, and Hindus and Muslims. These groups might have united while they were trying to gain independence but they quickly separated as soon as their agenda was achieved. The formation of East Pakistan from India due to the inability to unite the Hindus and Muslims.

The Case of South Africa: Ending Apartheid
In South Africa, the independence that they were seeking was not from the European Empire but from the white settler minority that has government and economic control. Just like in India, a group led by the "educated few" led the independence movement called the African National Congress (ANC). Gandhi's counterpart in India was Nelson Mandela. And just like in India, after they gained independence, Africa was also divided, not on religious lines but on race, ethnicity and ideology.