Decolonization Movement DBQ

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Nationalism and decolonization movements happened in the 1920s through 1960s, but South Africa’s movement didn’t end until 1994. The Nationalist movements are when a lot of people support and believe in being politically independent. The Decolonization movement is when people stop relying on another country that colonized them. Some of the rights that were taken away from the people were that they couldn’t protest, they weren’t represented in the government, the citizens paid high taxes, they were poor, there was segregation, and land was taken away. The citizens of South Africa, Vietnam, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana, protested with nonviolent and militant actions. Nonviolent actions were when people peacefully protested. Militant actions were …show more content…

For example, India was colonized by the British and the British government made the people pay a lot of taxes on things like salt and land. The citizens were also forced to buy British goods. Because of those unfair demands, Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian National Congress, decided to protest with nonviolent actions because he understands the experience of poor Indians and is justifying their actions against British rule. In document 1 written in India in the year 1930, Gandhi sent a letter to Lord Irwin, British leader of India, because Gandhi wanted to explain why they were doing the Salt March. The Salt March was to illegally make salt from seawater. The people traveled from Ahmedabad to Dandi, a total of 400 kilometers. Other strategies that the people used for the Salt March were boycotts, held meetings,with held payments of taxes and revenue, passed out brochures when people celebrate national culture, and they blocked liquor shops. The letter said that the Indians suffered a lot under British rule because of the high salt taxes and that if the citizens used nonviolence they would be able to see what the British government did to the citizens. …show more content…

An example where militant actions failed were in India. The people were forced to pay high taxes for salt and land. They were also forced to buy British products. In India there were small groups in India that decided to use violence. The Indian people made movements that encouraged violent actions, these programs were called Quit India Movement and Direct Action Day. Quit India Movement was when the people destroyed government buildings and destroyed anything from colonization. Direct Action Day was when there were a lot of massacres and rioting. Those events happened in the North. Mahatma Gandhi was blamed for some of the militant action and the government didn’t want to negotiate. This shows how the militant actions were unsuccessful because it made the British government ignore the people’s demands. This act of violence didn’t even get attention from others, instead Gandhi was blamed for something he didn’t do. In the same way, the people of Kenya did not have any economic or political rights in the British government. The citizens lost land to the British. The militant actions that the people did were encouraged by the Mau Mau. The Mau Mau was an organization that motivated people to be violent to

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