Cold War - Decolonization

In history I've been given a essay on the Cold War and decolonization. 

To what extent did the Cold War play a role in the decolonization process? 

What should I be talking about in my essay? Before I write it, I want to check if I'm writing about the right things. 

And also "to what extent" means how much of a role the Cold War played? Therefore I should be arguing how much the Cold War effected decolonization. So if other factors effected decolonization I should be talking about them also right?

Thanks.

Is it physical presence of conquerer,colonization?All post colonial countries are looking for investments&markets  of their former Dominions.I believe you can find lot of information inside archives of
"colonized" lands.

Then what research have you conducted on that....and which have you id' as a subject for the essay review.

Originally posted by Songgbird In history I've been given a essay on the Cold War and decolonization.  To what extent did the Cold War play a role in the decolonization process?  What should I be talking about in my essay? Before I write it, I want to check if I'm writing about the right things.  And also "to what extent" means how much of a role the Cold War played? Therefore I should be arguing how much the Cold War effected decolonization. So if other factors effected decolonization I should be talking about them also right? Thanks.

I don't agree this idea, the cold war caused new colonization style, it is not relevant with decolonization because it is a type of colonization. World divided Russian and American parts and ruled from Moskova and Washington

Just European colonization was dead, but American and Russians rose.


Edited by Ollios - 01-Apr-2012 at 14:21

Medenaywe made a good point. The Cold War was simply another phase of empire-building by the new superpowers: Russia, America, China and the EU stepping in to fill the void left by Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Japan

What do you mean, Czechoslovakia swinging voluntarily to the USSR? They didn't have a choice to start with, because after the Democratic Party won the free elections in 1946, in 1948 the Russian came with the tanks - so much voluntarily it was; besides Czechoslovakia lost Subcarpatian Ruthenia that was taken from it and incorporated in Russian Ukraine. Bulgaria didn't get free elections at all, and had to pay monstrous reparations to USSR for years, even though it didn't have a choice but to join Germany and provided only food, never soldiers, nevertheless they were loaded with reparations that kept Bulgaria for years on coupon system. And this in time when West Germany was receiving the Marshal Plan's help, from it's former enemies - Russia was raping it's "allies" like Bulgaria triple and split.

Of course the USSR wanted to create a sanitary zone, what this has to do with anything? Everyone can come up with excuse like that - a "sanitary zone' doesn't mean that you ruin the countries of question left and right. The Russian variety of communism expected that the whole world would become communist, "any minute now", but they treated Eastern Europe as a feudal property - that's why the Prague Spring and the Hungarian Rebellion were quashed in blood with the Russian tanks. Bulgaria was treated as an informal Russian republic, and had to obey everything Russia says, up to the minutest details, and tie it's economy exclusively to the Russia market, that's why 2O years after communism fell Bulgaria economy is still in ruins.

What is not colonial in such behavior? If what was done in Bulgaria is not colonialism, I would like to know what colonialism is. The degree of colonialism was different, the Czechs wiggle themselves a little more space, and Tito kept Yugoslavia more independent, but this was only because of clever politicians - if the USSR could, they would turn everyone in a wiping rug, like they did with Bulgaria.



Edited by Don Quixote - 04-Apr-2012 at 00:52

Imperialism doesn't neccessarily have to include colonisation. The Americans and Russians both wanted to set up puppet regimes in the Third World to strip of their natural resources in return for arms. Nam was just one of many imperialist wars between two puppet regimes: Soviet-backed communists against a US-sponsored miltiary dictatorship

Edited by Nick1986 - 04-Apr-2012 at 19:30