Decolonization Around the World
Driving Question: What role did the Cold War play in anticolonial movements in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia?
Revolution and global pressure pushed massive changes forward after World War II. This lesson features powerful voices of decolonization often left out of the story for a fuller view of the end of empire.
Learning Objectives:
- Use evidence to evaluate how leaders and communities resisted colonial rule in the context of Cold War power struggles.
- Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives of this period.
- Create arguments supported by evidence to assess how the Cold War and decolonization are intertwined in the history of this period.
Vocab Terms:
Short on time? Read “Decolonization Case Studies: Which One?” in the Community Forum for a variety of teacher takes on the topic.
One salty image will help you start to consider the connected struggles for independence and equality in this period.
Did you know: Algerian women used fashion as battlefield camouflage. During the Algerian War of Independence, Algerian women used the haik (a traditional women’s garment common in the Maghreb) to smuggle bombs and guns through French checkpoints. When French soldiers grew suspicious and started targeting women in traditional dress, resistance fighters took to wearing European-style fashion, makeup, and hairstyles. European-looking women drew less attention, making it easier to smuggle weapons or plant bombs.
You may want to use the Comparison Tool to help your students keep track of all the decolonization movements they’re reading about in this lesson.
By comparing cases like India, Vietnam, Nigeria, and Algeria, you’ll uncover how the global struggle between the United States and Soviet Union influenced local fights for independence—bringing both support and conflict to anticolonial movements.
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Guiding Questions
Claim writing: Have students practice writing claims as an exit ticket. At the end of the class period, students write down a claim that they can make about the content they learned in class that day. They can collect and use those claims to create an organizational structure for a larger piece of writing, or simply to kick-start an idea.
As Cold War powers competed for influence in the Middle East, nationalist leaders like Nasser and Mossadegh faced new challenges and new opportunities to resist empire.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
Colonized people fought for independence as Cold War rivalries complicated those struggles. In this section, you will see how leaders, revolutions, and wars were shaped by the global battle between capitalism and communism.
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Guiding Questions
For a fresh take on this graphic biography, read “Processing the Graphic Bio of Kwame Nkrumah” in the Community Forum.
In Ghana, the fight for independence showed how local resistance and Cold War politics were connected. Learn how leaders and grassroots movements challenged colonial rule and shaped a new nation.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
You’ve just learned a lot about decolonization. You could probably write a book, or at least an essay…but let’s start with one page.
Khanmigo Writing Coach is an AI-powered tool designed specifically for teachers and students in K–12 and secondary classrooms. This tool can help you teach many OER Project: World History writing activities. It can be used to provide individual feedback and revisions on early student work. If you’re interested, check out this Khanmigo Writing Coach Guide.
These exercises will help you practice using historical sources to build a strong, evidence-based argument about the global impact of Cold War rivalries on independence movements.
Colonized people fought for independence as Cold War rivalries complicated those struggles. In this section, you will see how leaders, revolutions, and wars were shaped by the global battle between capitalism and communism.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
