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How Did So Many Countries Gain Independence

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How Did So Many Countries Gain Independence
Several nations of South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East wanted to escape the control of a colony that invaded their countries. Some gained peaceful independence and others had to take violent measures in order to escape the ruler that had corrupted their country through diversity. Borders drawn by European colonial rulers left nations with mixed ethnic and religious groups, which led to corruption. These foreign nations were the one thing that pushed these countries to want to be free. The common thread that has driven the countries of Kenya, Algeria, and India to independence is the fact that the people wanted to escape rule from their colonial leaders in order to form their own country and the ethnic and religious tensions also …show more content…
For instance, Kenya took the route of violence in order to achieve freedom from Britain and create fairness for the black majority. White settlers had built plantations in Kenya and they had passed laws to ensure their domination as the minority. Kikuyu spokesman Jomo Kenyatta wanted justice for the black majority. He called for nonviolent means to end the laws. Black Kenyans then turned to guerrilla warfare and killed white settlers. The British imprisoned Kenyatta, because they thought he was the leader of this group, which they called the Mau Mau. Several Kikuyu were killed, but in 1963, the British finally withdrew from Kenya, because of all the issues. Kenyatta became the first leader of this independent nation. Furthermore, Algeria faced similar problems being a colony of France. Over one million French populated Algeria and wanted to stay as part as France. France also wanted to hold on to this colony, because it had recently lost its Asian colony of Vietnam and Algeria had several resources, such as gas and oil. Algeria wanted independence and rights, so things turned to violence. The National Liberation Front was set up and guerrilla warfare was

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