Decolonization: A Short History

In this authoritative primer, German historians Jansen and Osterhammel record the dramatic post-WWII dissolution of colonial rule throughout Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. The authors ably synthesize the vast literature on this “potentially boundless topic,” providing readers with a broad and meticulous yet accessible overview of the complex, multidimensional process of decolonization: “the disappearance of empire as a political form, and the end of racial hierarchy as a widely accepted political ideology and structuring principle of world order.” Adopting a useful long-term perspective, the authors trace decolonization’s roots to the aftermath of WWI—which had allowed “the first signs of a fundamental legitimation crisis in colonial rule to surface”—and investigate its many contemporary reverberations. Decolonization is interpreted here not simply as a historical and political development, but as a pervasive global transformation that had far-reaching cultural and intellectual implications and that radically restructured the international order with dozens of newly sovereign nation-states. The academic tone may not fully convey the dramatic, inspiring, and sometimes brutal nature of these events, but the purpose here is primarily informative. This clear, concise, and new interpretation will be welcomed by students, scholars, and general readers interested in one of the most defining and consequential developments of the 20th century. (Mar.)