Why Did So Many European Colonies Gain Independence After World War II?
Introduction Why does France still want a presence in its many African ex-colonies e.g. Mali by sending French troops especially Regiments of the Foreigh Legion there? The chart above from www.ourworldindata.org shows that from a peak of approximately 100 colonies less than a century ago, there are now only 17 non-self-governing countries in the world. And most of these are small and/or remote territories. The 17 non-self-governing territories include Western Sahara, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Island, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, American Samoa, French Polynesia, Guam, New Caledonia, Pitcairn, and Tokelau. No. of colonies by country in 1925: UK: 55, France:26, Belgium 2, Italy 3, Netherlands 2, Portugal 6, Spain 2. Why did the ex-European empires relinquish their hold over so many countries post-WWII? Fiscal exhaustion: War debts + post-war welfare-state spend...