General Studies I · Subtopic
Colonization and decolonization
Official syllabus
History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.— their forms and effect on the society.
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What this covers
Colonization joined territorial control to political domination, economic extraction, strategic rivalry and claims of cultural superiority. Its forms varied across settler colonies, direct rule, indirect rule, protectorates and informal influence. Decolonization likewise followed different paths: negotiation, mass politics, armed struggle, international pressure and imperial exhaustion interacted in different proportions. Compare the institutions and economic structures inherited at independence, the drawing of borders, the management of diversity, and the effort to build legitimate states. Keep formal sovereignty distinct from the persistence of unequal economic and geopolitical relationships.
Key ideas
- Imperialism and motives for expansion
- Forms of colonial rule
- Economic and social restructuring
- Knowledge culture and racial hierarchy
- Anti-colonial nationalism
- Negotiated and violent decolonization
- State building after independence
- Colonial legacies and continuing dependency