Decolonization as Cold War battleground

The full decolonization story is covered in Unit 10.7, but the Cold War context is essential. As European empires collapsed between 1945 and the 1970s, new nations emerged in Asia and Africa. Both superpowers competed for the allegiance of these new states. Some, like India and Egypt at various points, pursued non-alignment between the blocs. Others, like North Vietnam and Cuba, aligned firmly with one side. The competition between superpowers shaped which leaders rose, which fell, and what economic and political models new nations adopted.