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Mostly 20th-century independence of Asian countries from Western European powers From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The decolonisation of Asia was the gradual growth of independence movements in Asia, leading ultimately to the retreat of foreign powers and the creation of several nation-states in the region.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2020) |
The decline of Spain and Portugal in the 17th century paved the way for other European powers, namely the Netherlands, France and England. Portugal would lose influence in all but three of its colonies, Portuguese India, Macau and Timor.
By the end of the 17th century, the Dutch had taken over much of the old Portuguese colonies, and had established a strong presence in present-day Indonesia, with colonies in Aceh, Bantam, Makassar and Jakarta. The Dutch also had trade links with Siam, Japan, China and Bengal.
The British had competed with Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch for their interests in Asia since the early 17th century and by the mid-19th century held much of India (via the British East India Company), as well as Burma, Ceylon, Malaya and Singapore. After The Indian Rebellion of 1857, Queen Victoria was declared Empress of India, thus solidifying the British rule on the subcontinent. The last British acquisition in Asia was the New Territories of Hong Kong, which was leased from the Qing emperor in 1897, expanding the British colony originally ceded in the Treaty of Nanking in 1842.
The French had little success in India following defeats against the British in the 17th century, though they held onto possessions on the east coast of India (such as Pondicherry and Mahar) until decolonisation. The French established their most lucrative and substantial colony in Indochina in 1862, eventually occupying the present-day areas of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia by 1887.
Japan's first colony was the island of Taiwan, occupied in 1874 and officially ceded by the Qing emperor in 1894. Japan continued its early imperialism with the annexation of Korea in 1910.
The United States entered the region in 1898 during the Spanish–American War, taking the Philippines as its sole colony after a mock battle in the capital and the later formal acquisition of the Philippines from Spain through the 1898 Treaty of Paris.
The following list shows the colonial powers following the end of World War II in 1945, their colonial or administrative possessions and the date of decolonization.[1]
Country | Date of acquisition of sovereignty | Acquisition of sovereignty |
---|---|---|
/ Afghanistan | 1919 | Treaty of Rawalpindi ends British control of foreign policy |
Bahrain | 15 August 1971 | End of treaties with the United Kingdom |
Bangladesh | 26 March 1971 | Independence from Pakistan declared |
Bhutan | 1885 | Ugyen Wangchuck ends a period of civil war and unites Bhutan |
Brunei | 1 January 1984 | Brunei regains its independence after an agreement with the British on 4 January 1979 |
Cambodia | 9 September 1953 | France grants Cambodia independence |
26 September 1989 | Becomes free from Vietnamese occupation; it gets back its name instead of the People's Republic of Kampuchea | |
Taiwan | 1 January 1912 | On the first day of January of 1912 The Republic of China unilaterally declared their independence. |
China | 7 December 1949 | On the 1st of October of 1949 the Chinese Communist Party wins against the Kuomintang which then retreats to the island of Taiwan. |
India | 15 August 1947 | Independence from the British Empire |
Indonesia | 27 December 1949 | Independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands following their unilateral Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945 and subsequent Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference in The Hague. |
Iran | 609 BC | After the fall of Assyria between 616 BC and 609 BC, a unified Median state was formed, which together with Babylonia, Lydia, and ancient Egypt became one of the four major powers of the ancient Near East. |
Iraq | 762 | The Abbasid Caliphate built the city of Baghdad along the Tigris in the 8th century as its capital, and the city became the leading metropolis of the Arab and Muslim world for five centuries |
3 October 1932 | Kingdom of Iraq | |
Israel | 14 May 1948 | Upon the end of the British Mandate, Jews declared independence, forming the State of Israel; the remainder of Palestine came under control of Egypt (Gaza Strip) and Transjordan (West Bank) |
Japan | 4th century CE | During the subsequent Kofun period, most of Japan gradually unified under a single kingdom |
Jordan | 25 May 1946 | End of the British Mandate for Palestine |
Kuwait | 1752 | Establishment of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait |
Kyrgyzstan | 31 August 1991 | Independence from the Soviet Union |
Laos | 22 October 1953 | Independence from France |
Lebanon | 26 November 1941 | Independence from France declared |
22 November 1943 | Independence from France recognised | |
Malaysia | 31 August 1957 | Malayan independence from the United Kingdom was declared in Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) |
16 September 1963 | Malaysia was formed by the federation of North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya. | |
Maldives | 26 July 1965 | Independence from the United Kingdom |
Mongolia | 1206 | Mongol Empire formed |
29 December 1911 | Proclamation of Mongolian independence from Manchu's Qing dynasty | |
Myanmar | 4 January 1948 | Myanmar (Burma) declares independence from the British Empire |
Nepal | 25 September 1768 | Nepali unification |
Oman | 26 January 1650 | Expulsion of the Portuguese Army from Oman |
Pakistan | 14 August 1947 | Independence from British India in the Partition |
Palestine | 15 November 1988 | Palestinian Declaration of Independence |
Philippines | 12 June 1898 | The evolving revolutionary movement in Philippine revolutionaries declared independence from the Spanish Empire but sovereignty remained with Spain, which ceded the country to the United States. |
4 July 1946 | The United States recognises independence under the provisions of the Treaty of Manila (1946). The 1935 Constitution remained in effect until 1973, when the Marcos regime promulgated a newer one, in turn, replaced by the present 1987 Constitution. | |
Qatar | 18 December 1878 | Independence from the Ottoman Empire |
Saudi Arabia | 1744 | Establishment of the First Saudi State |
Singapore | 3 June 1959 | Self-government under the United Kingdom |
9 August 1965 | Malaysia unilaterally expels Singapore from the federation of Malaysian states, creating an independent Singaporean state | |
Sri Lanka | 4 February 1948 | Independence from the United Kingdom |
Syria | 28 September 1961 | End of the United Arab Republic |
Tajikistan | 9 September 1991 | Independence from the Soviet Union |
Thailand | 6 November 1767 | King Taksin the Great reunifies Thailand, establishing a new kingdom and repelling Burmese invasions |
Timor-Leste | 28 November 1975 | East Timor declares its independence but was occupied by Indonesia |
20 May 2002 | Independence was recognised by the international community following the UN-sponsored act of self-determination of 1999 | |
Turkmenistan | 27 October 1991 | Independence from the Soviet Union |
United Arab Emirates | 2 December 1971 | End of a treaty relationship with the United Kingdom |
Uzbekistan | 31 August 1991 | Independence from the Soviet Union declared |
Vietnam | 2524 BC | Hùng king established Van Lang, the first kingdom of Vietnam |
Yemen | 1 November 1918 | Independence of North Yemen from the Turkish Empire |
30 November 1967 | Independence of South Yemen from the United Kingdom |
Burma was almost completely occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. Many Burmese fought alongside Japan in the initial stages of the war, though the Burmese Army and most Burmese switched sides in 1945.
A transitional government sponsored by the British government was formed in the years following the Second World War, ultimately leading to Burma's independence in January 1948.
Following the capitulation of France and the formation of the Vichy regime, France's Indochinese possessions were given to Japan. While there was some argument that Indochina should not be returned to France, particularly from the United States, Cambodia nevertheless remained under French rule after the end of hostilities.
France had placed Norodom Sihanouk on the throne in 1941 and was hoping for a puppet monarch. They were mistaken. However, the King led the way to Cambodian independence in 1953, taking advantage of the background of the First Indochina War being fought in Vietnam.
Ceylon was an important base of operations for the Western Allies during the Second World War. The British gave in to popular pressure for independence and in February 1948, the country won its independence as the Dominion of Ceylon.
For some clarification and more detail including the sovereignty status of the Republic of China, see the following articles: History of China, Cross-Strait relations, One-China policy and Political status of Taiwan. Hong Kong was returned to the United Kingdom following its occupation by the Japanese during the Second World War.[2] It was controlled directly by a British governor until the expiry of the ninety-nine-year lease of the New Territories, which occurred in 1997. From that date, the territory was returned to People's Republic of China and controlled as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.
Philippine revolutionaries unilaterraly declared independence from Spain in 1898, during the Spanish–American War, but sovereignty remained with Spain. Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris that concluded that war. In 1899, Philippine revolutionaries established the insurgent First Philippine Republic. Shortly thereafter, the Philippine–American War began, ending in 1901 with a U.S. victory, though isolated fighting continued for several years thereafter.
In 1902, the Philippines became a U.S. territory with the passage of the Philippine Organic Act, later becoming a U.S. Commonwealth in 1936. It was occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War. In 1943, with Japan granting it a short-lived nominal independence. In 1944, the Allied invasion of the Philippines by combined U.S. and Filipino troops began, which resulted in Americans and Filipinos regaining full control of the nation. In 1946, the United States recognised Philippine independence in the 1946 Treaty of Manila.
The "colonial power" and "colonial name" columns are merged when required to denote territories, where current countries are established, that have not been decolonised but achieved independence in different ways.
The 9 states may be divided into the following five regional categories. The distinguishing traits of each region result from geographic and cultural factors as well as their respective historical relations with Russia. Not included in these categories are the several de facto independent states presently lacking international recognition (read below: Separatist conflicts).
Region | Country name | First flag | Current flag | Capital | Independence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asia | Russia (Russian Federation) | Moscow | 12 December 1991 | ||
Central Asia | Uzbekistan (Republic of Uzbekistan) | Tashkent | 31 August 1991 | ||
Kazakhstan (Republic of Kazakhstan) | Nur-Sultan | 16 December 1991 | |||
Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz Republic) | Bishkek | 31 August 1991 | |||
Tajikistan (Republic of Tajikistan) | Dushanbe | 9 September 1991 | |||
Turkmenistan | Ashgabat | 27 October 1991 | |||
Transcaucasia | Georgia (formerly the Republic of Georgia) | Tbilisi | 9 April 1991 | ||
Azerbaijan (Republic of Azerbaijan) | Baku | 30 August 1991 | |||
Armenia (Republic of Armenia) | Yerevan | 21 September 1991 | |||
Total former Soviet Union |
Country | Pre-independence name (different) | Date | Year of independence or first stage | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan | Northern Persia | 19 August | 1919 | Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 |
Bahrain | 15 August | 1971 | ||
Brunei | 1 January | 1984 | ||
Cyprus | 16 August | 1960 | Cyprus Independence Day is commonly celebrated on 1 October. | |
Egypt | 28 February | 1922 | Control over the Suez Canal Zone was maintained until 1952. | |
India | British India | 15 August | 1947 | Independence Day (India) |
Iraq | 3 October | 1932 | ||
Israel | Mandatory Palestine | 14 May | 1948 | End of British mandate Independence Day (Israel) Palestine declared independence from Israel on 15 November 1988. |
Jordan | Transjordan | 25 May | 1946 | |
Kuwait | 19 June | 1961 | ||
Malaysia | Four parts: Malaya North Borneo Singapore Sarawak |
31 August | 1957 | As the Federation of Malaya (Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957). North Borneo (now Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore gained full independence and joined Malaysia on 16 September 1963 under the Malaysia Agreement (Malaysia Act 1963). Singapore gained independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. |
Maldives | 26 July | 1965 | ||
Mauritius | 12 March | 1968 | ||
Myanmar | British Burma | 4 January | 1948 | Gained independence as Burma. Renamed Myanmar in 1989, but still officially known by the United Kingdom government as Burma. |
Oman | Sultanate of Muscat and Oman | 20 December | 1951 | |
Pakistan | British India | 14 August | 1947 | Partition of India Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan on 26 March 1971. |
Qatar | British Qatari Protectorate | 3 September | 1971 | |
Seychelles | 29 June | 1976 | ||
Singapore | 3 June | 1959 | Became self-governing on 3 June 1959 and gained independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. | |
Sri Lanka | Ceylon | 4 February | 1948 | Gained independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. Renamed Sri Lanka in 1972. |
United Arab Emirates | Trucial States | 2 December | 1971 | National Day (United Arab Emirates) |
Yemen | Protectorate of South Arabia Federation of South Arabia |
30 November | 1967 | South Yemen 1967 |
British colonies in South Asia, East Asia, And Southeast Asia:
French colonies in South and Southeast Asia:
Dutch, British, Portuguese colonies and Russian territories in Asia:
The following list shows the colonial powers following the end of World War II in 1945, their colonial or administrative possessions and the date of decolonisation.
Territory | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|
South Sakhalin | 1905-1945 | |
Mainland China | 1931–1945 | Manchukuo 50 million (1940), Jehol, Kwantung Leased Territory, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, plus parts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Guizhou, Inner Mongolia |
Japan | prewar-1945 | Present day Japan, Kuril and Ryukyu Islands |
Korea | 1910-1945 | Both North and South |
Taiwan | 1895-1945 | |
Hong Kong | 12 December 1941 – 15 August 1945 | Hong Kong (UK) |
:: East Asia (subtotal) | – | |
Vietnam | 15 July 1940 – 29 August 1945 | As French Indochina (FR) |
Cambodia | 15 July 1940 – 29 August 1945 | As French Indochina, Japanese occupation of Cambodia |
Laos | 15 July 1940 – 29 August 1945 | As French Indochina, Japanese occupation of Laos |
Thailand | 8 December 1941 – 15 August 1945 | Independent State but Allied with Japan |
Malaysia | 27 March 1942 – 6 September 1945 (Malaya), 29 March 1942 – 9 September 1945 (Sarawak, Brunei, Labuan, North Borneo) | As Malaya (UK), British Borneo (UK), Brunei (UK) |
Philippines | 8 May 1942 – 5 July 1945 | Philippines (US) |
Dutch East Indies | 18 January 1942 – 21 October 1945 | Dutch East Indies (NL) |
Singapore | 15 February 1942 – 9 September 1945 | Singapore (UK) |
Myanmar | 1942–1945 | Burma (UK) |
East Timor | 19 February 1942 – 2 September 1945 | Portuguese Timor (PT) |
:: Southeast Asia (subtotal) | – | |
New Guinea | 27 December 1941 – 15 September 1945 | As Papua and New Guinea (AU) |
Guam | 6 January 1942 – 24 October 1945 | from Guam (US) |
South Seas Mandate | 1919–1945 | from German Empire |
Nauru | 26 August 1942 – 13 September 1945 | from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand |
Wake Island, US | 27 December 1941 – 4 September 1945 | US |
Kiribati | December 1941 – 22 January 1944 | from Gilbert Islands (UK) |
:: Pacific Islands (subtotal) | – |
Disclaimer: Not all areas were considered part of Imperial Japan but rather part of puppet states & sphere of influence, allies, included separately for demographic purposes. Sources: POPULSTAT Asia Oceania
Other occupied World War 2 islands:
Name of territory | Dates | Status | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Aden | 1839 | Colony subordinate to Bombay Presidency British India | |
1932 | Separate province of British India | ||
1937 | Separate Crown colony | ||
1963 | Part of Federation of South Arabia | ||
Afghanistan | 1839–1842 | Protectorate | |
1879 | Protectorate | ||
1919 | Independence | ||
Assam | 1874–1905 | Province of British India | |
1905–1912 | Incorporated into the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam | ||
1912–1947 | Province of British India | Now a state of the Republic of India | |
Bahrain | 1880 | Protectorate | |
1961–1971 | Autonomous | ||
1971 | Independence | Invited to join the Trucial States, but declined | |
Baluchistan | 1877–1896 | Province | |
1896–1947 | Province of British India | ||
1947 | Part of Pakistan | Now part of Balochistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, in Pakistan | |
Bantam | 1603–1609 | Station | |
1609–1617 | Factory | ||
1617–1621 | Presidency | ||
1621 | Expelled by the Dutch | ||
1630–1634 | Subordinated to Surat | ||
1634–1652 | Presidency | ||
1652–1682 | Subordinated to Surat | ||
1682 | Expelled by the Dutch | Now in Indonesia | |
Bencoolen ("Fort York", later "Fort Marlborough") |
1685–1760 | Coastal settlements of southwestern Sumatra, subordinated to Madras | |
1760–1785 | Presidency | ||
1785–1825 | Subordinated to Bengal Presidency | ||
1825 | Part of Dutch East Indies | Now Bengkulu, in Indonesia | |
Bengal ("Fort William") |
1634–1658 | Factories | |
1658–1681 | Subordinated to Madras | ||
1681–82 | Agency | ||
1682–1694 | Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements | ||
1694–1698 | Subordinated to Madras | ||
1698–1700 | Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements | ||
1700–1774 | Presidency | ||
1774–1905 | Presidency of British India | ||
1905–1912 | Partitioned between [West] Bengal and Eastern Bengal and Assam | ||
1912–1937 | Presidency of British India | ||
1937–1947 | Province of British India | ||
1947 | Divided between India (West Bengal) and Pakistan (East Bengal) | Now Bangladesh, and part of West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand, in India | |
Brunei | 1888 | Protectorate | |
1967 | Protected state | ||
1984 | Independence | ||
Burma (now called Myanmar) | 1824–1852 | Arakan, Tenasserim | |
1852–1886 | Lower Burma | ||
1885–1886 | Upper Burma | ||
1886 | Lower and Upper Burma United as a province of British India | ||
1937 | Separate Crown Colony | ||
1948 | Independence | Name changed to Myanmar after a military junta in 1989. | |
Eastern Bengal and Assam | 1905–1912 | Province of British India | Established upon the partition of Bengal (1905) |
1912 | Partition reversed | Split between the re-established province of Assam and the re-constituted presidency of Bengal | |
Ceylon | 1795 | Ceded by the Dutch and subordinated to the Madras presidency of British India | |
1798 | Separate Crown colony | ||
1948 | Independence | Now the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka | |
Dansborg | 1801–02 | Occupied | |
1808–1815 | Occupied | ||
1845 | purchased and incorporated into British India | Now in Tamil Nadu state, India | |
Frederiksnagore | 1801–02 | Occupied | |
1808–1815 | Occupied | ||
1845 | Purchased and incorporated into British India | Now in West Bengal state, India | |
Hong Kong | 1841 | Hong Kong Island occupied | |
1843–1982 | Crown colony | ||
1860 | Kowloon and Stonecutters Island ceded by China | ||
1898 | New Territories leased from China for 99 years | ||
1942–1945 | Occupied by Japan | ||
1945–1946 | Military administration | ||
1983–1997 | Dependent territory | ||
1997 | Handover to China as a special administrative region | ||
Kuwait | 1899 | Protectorate | |
1961 | Independence | ||
Indian Empire (British Raj) | 1613 | Company rule in India | |
1858 | Crown rule over the Indian Princely states, the Presidencies and provinces of British India | ||
1947 | Independent as India & Pakistan after partition | ||
Mandatory Iraq | 1920–1932 | League of Nations mandate never passed, replaced by Anglo-Iraqi treaty with the Kingdom of Iraq | |
Java | 1811–1816 | Territory of the East India Company | restored to the Netherlands |
Malaya | 1824 | Transferred following Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 | |
1824–1867 | Territory of British East India Company | ||
1867–1946 | Straits Settlements, Crown colony | ||
1895–1946 | Federated Malay States, protectorate | ||
1885–1946 | Johor, protectorate (part of Unfederated Malay States) | ||
1909–1946 | Kedah, protectorate (part of Unfederated Malay States) | ||
1909–1946 | Kelantan, protectorate (part of Unfederated Malay States) | ||
1909–1946 | Perlis, protectorate (part of Unfederated Malay States) | ||
1909–1946 | Terengganu, protectorate (part of Unfederated Malay States) | ||
1942–1945 | Japanese occupation | ||
1945–1946 | Military Administration | ||
1946–1948 | Malayan Union | ||
1948–1957 | Federation of Malaya | ||
1957–1963 | Independent state | ||
1963 | Annex North Borneo and Sarawak forming the renamed federation of Malaysia | ||
North Borneo | 1882–1946 | Protectorate | |
1945–1946 | Military administration | Labuan to British N. Borneo on 15 July 1946 | |
1946–1963 | Crown colony | Labuan to British N. Borneo on 15 July 1946 | |
1963 | Self-government | ||
1963 | Annexed by Malaya into Malaysia | ||
Palestine | 1920 | Mandate | |
1948 | British sovereignty relinquished; the proposed partition between a Jewish and an Arab state never fully materialised; the Jewish state – Israel – was established immediately after British withdrawal, with the short-lived All-Palestine government following six months later | ||
1949 | Two sections of the former Palestine Mandate outside Israel – the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – were occupied by Jordan and Egypt respectively following the collapse of the All-Palestine government | ||
1956 | Gaza Strip briefly falls under Israeli occupation during the Suez Crisis | ||
1967 | West Bank and Gaza Strip fall under Israeli occupation as a consequence of the Six-day War | ||
1993 | A Palestinian National Authority is declared in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; most matters regarding the day-to-day governance of these territories fell under its jurisdiction, in anticipation of a future Palestinian state | ||
2005 | Israel formally withdraws from the Gaza Strip, placing it under full PNA control; despite this, Gazan waters are still under Israeli military control | ||
Pulo Condore Island (Côn Đảo) | 1702 | Possession of British East India Company | |
1705 | Abandoned | Now Côn Đảo, in Vietnam | |
Sarawak | 1888–1946 | Protected States | |
1945–1946 | Military administration | ||
1946–1963 | Crown colony | ||
1963 | Self-government | ||
1963 | Annexed by Malaya into Malaysia | ||
Straits Settlements | 1826–1858 | Possession under British East India Company | |
1858–1867 | Subordinated to British India | ||
1867–1946 | Crown colony | ||
1942–1945 | Occupied by Japan | ||
1946 | Dissolved | Now divided between Malacca and Penang, in Malaysia, and Singapore | |
Qatar | 1916–1971 | Protectorate | |
1971 | Independence | Invited to join the Trucial States, but declined | |
Surat | 1612–1658 | Factory | |
1658–1668 | Presidency | ||
1668–1685 | Possession under British East India Company | ||
1685–1703 | Subordinated to Bombay | ||
1703 | Incorporated into Bombay | Now in India | |
Singapore | 1824 | Purchased | |
1824 | Part of Straits Settlements (as residency of the Presidency of Bengal) | ||
1867–1946 | Part of Straits Settlements (crown colony) | ||
1946–1955 | Crown colony | ||
1955–1959 | self-governing colony | ||
1959–1963 | State of Singapore | ||
1963–1965 | Part of Malaysia | ||
1965 | Independence | ||
Transjordan | 1920 | Part of Palestine Mandate | |
1923 | Formally separated from Palestine | ||
1928 | Emirate independent, except for military and financial control | ||
1946 | Formal independence | Now known as Jordan | |
Trucial States | 1892 | Protectorate | |
1971 | Formation of Federation of Arab Emirates | Now part of the United Arab Emirates | |
Weihaiwei | 1898–1930 | Leased from China | |
1930 | Returned to the Republic of China | Now part of the People's Republic of China | |
West Bengal ("Bengal") |
1905–1912 | Province of British India | Established by the partition of Bengal. Abolished with the reversal of the partition and the creation of the new province of Bihar and Orissa. |
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