Decolonization and Revolution

During 1945-1975 there were major independence movements as well as revolutions, to change the leadership and government of many countries. In some countries non - violent protests were used in order to achieve independence. However some countries used violence in order to achieve and maintain their independence from European powers. Some countries that already had their independence went through revolutions. These revolutions were usually violent changed the way their government functioned. All these leaders achieved their goals and used different methods to do so.

During the 1960s colonialism was looked on negatively by the United Nations. The Declaration against Colonialism states "All peoples have the right to self - determination". This shows that even though the United Nations felt that countries owning colonies was bad these counties like France and Britain did not willing give up their colonies. This is why great leaders arouse during 1945-1975. Some may go as far as Kwame Nkrumah he believed "This, without a doubt, is the most significant happening of the twentieth century". Kwame Nkrumah believed that the suppressed were rising against the suppressors was very crucial and that is indeed true.

Mohandas Gandhi believed that an eye for an eye would leave the whole world blind. That is why Mohandas Gandhi only used non - violent protests in his quest for Indian independence. At first Mohandas Gandhi only wanted to get rid of the three great evils. However he eventually realized that only complete independence from Britain would suffice. Gandhi made many speeches to rally fellow independence fighters he once stated "If I do not obey the law and accept the penalty for its breaking I use soul force. It involves sacrifice of self". This shows that Gandhi did not mind going to jail for his cause he accepted the responsibility for breaking the unjust British laws. One of Gandhi's most famous protests was the salt march. He arrived at the sea to collect salt on the anniversary of the Amritsar massacre. Mohandas Gandhi said while on the Salt March "the salt law is as good as abolished". This shows how Gandhi's non - violent methods led to success. Eventually after many protests the British government allowed Mohandas Gandhi to come to England to discuss independence for India.

Vietnam and Kenya gained their independence after World War II. These countries strategically declared their independence at the end of World War II so the European powers would be too weak to fight in order to keep their colonies. Even though these countries were free they had to live in fear of attack from European powers. Vietnamese nationalist Ho Chi Minh stated "Vietnamese people... are determined to fight to the bitter end against any attempt by the French colonists to reconquer their country". This shows how dedicated the Vietnamese people are to keeping their land. Ho Chi Minh was a good leader and was able to keep the Vietnamese people together even through the tough times when they feared attack by the French. This same situation was present in Kenya. Jomo Kenyatta was the leader of the fight for Kenyan independence and he said "The land is ours... The freedom tree can only grow when you pour blood on it". This quote that violence was needed in order to keep Kenya an independent country. Also this shows that Jomo Kenyatta thought it was necessary to use violence in order to achieve his goals. Both Ho Chi Minh and Jomo Kenyatta achieved their goals of independence and they both kept their countries independent from the European powers that they feared.

Some independent countries during this time period went through dramatic revolutions which changed their government. China and Cuba became communist countries and they were led by strong verbal leaders. Mao Zedong used charisma in order to convince the Chinese people that he was the proper leader for Chine he said in a speech "the Chinese people will achieve complete victor". This shows how leaders made promises to the public that they could not keep. Under communism China did not achieve success; economically China was a huge failure since The Great Leap failed. Also Mao Zedong did not use violence in order to achieve his goal of becoming the leader of China. Fidel Castro of Cuba used a different approach to take control of the government by using violence. Fidel Castro led a group of guerilla fighters that took over the capitol of Cuba. Fidel Castro like Mao Zedong was very charismatic and once said "These are the people, the ones who know misfortune and, therefore, are capable of fighting with limitless courage". This shows how Fidel Castro tried and was able to get the people in lower social classes to join his fight for power. Both Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro used different methods to achieve their goals but they bother were successful and even to this day their countries government remains the way they left it.

During 1945-1975 there was a lot of change throughout the world. This change was brought about by great and strong leaders. These leaders were able to exploit there enemies and most did not need to use brute force to overcome their issues. All these leaders achieved their goal which means they were successful. These leaders were praised and looked upon as heroes for their countries.