Post-War Cold War Politics

• Cold War problems merged with nationalist independence movements in the Post-War world.

• Communism was an easy ideology to sell to dispossessed, colonised peoples around the world.

• At first, America was hostile to European empires and they encouraged them to grant freedom

• However, as the Soviet Union took control of East Europe and backed regimes in North Korea and then China, the USA changed its view of decolonisation

• Britain, France (and other European powers) were encouraged to keep Communists at bay before handing independence over to their colonies.