POLS2409 Lecture 6: POLS2409 Lecture 6
Lecture 6 - Decolonisation & the Rise of the Non-Aligned
Movement
The World in 1945 - Recap
The Balance of Power
powers outside of Western Europe
SU and US
imbalance of power between the West and the Rest
Lib Internationalism 2.0
rise of a post-War order among democracies
order focused on security problems in Europe
Onset of the Cold War
bipolarity, nukes, the breakdown of the Grand Alliance in Europe and Asia
British + French set on maintaining multipolar order
1949 nightmare for US
fall of China to Mao Zedong (communism)
USSR detonates first atomic weapon years ahead of schedule
June 1950 - NK invades Korea at Stalins encouragement
1949 - NATO founded
US obsessed with containing SU
Post-War International Order-Building
Europe:
the persistent dream of imperial resurrection
perception of the need for empire
empires used to maintain status and global significance
Empires used to finance efforts to rebuild after WW2
Britains credit destroyed by the war
economically desperate state
= strong commitment to idea of relying on empires
Soviet Union:
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Opportunistic anti-imperialist
SU committed to the dismantling of colonial empires
happy coincidence: ideological conviction meeting strategic self-interest
1920s: SU already committed to destruction of European imperialism
US:
Ambivalent anti-imperialist
committed to dismantling European empires at the end of WW2
Unfortunate disconnect between aspiration + geopolitical and strategic reality
supporting rapid decolonisation vs containment of communism
Truman comes to power
China has become communist
unsure how to continue from this point
Peoples of African & Asia
growing voice in world politics
Although the world order is dominated by the West, African and Asian ppl have some
voice
Note: important to critique and critically engage with the dominant narrative that
suggests that the post-WW2 int order was created only by the West
there was an acknowledgement that African + Asian ppl were becoming more
powerful
Global South involvement in int order-building
embedded liberalism - Ruggie
narrative to suggest int order is an Anglo-American creation + compromise
that the order was liberal, open to free trade, embedded = recognises role of
domestic governments in settling disputes
BUT:
latin American activism & the development agenda at Bretton Woods (1944)
to prevent 1930s happening again, need countries to be able to insulate and
protect themselves and have full employment
Latin America wanted order with policy leeway that allowed them to pursue their
own development goals
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Asian activism & the UNDHR (1948)
Key to establishment of the UNDHR
india - even before they were an independent state, played big role
Protested for non self-governing states to have the UNDHR apply to them as well
The Cold War in Asia, collective security, & deep origins of non-alignment
pactomania - replicate NATO with collective security guarantees throughout the
world
US one size fits all approach
The First Inter-Continental Conference of Coloured Peoples - Bandung, April
1955
The Rise of Asian Neutralism after 1945
as Cold War hostilities solidify, states increasingly forced to choose sides
heightened anti-col sentiment in India
Quit India movement during WW2
demanded early shift to Indian independence
Bengal Famine
Britain govt didnt provide enough assistance
as early as 1940s, discussions about how to create a Third Way in int pols
commitment to neutralism that would prevent smaller states being caught up in Cold
War rivalry
Apprehension about WW3
Did not want to be chain-ganged into conflict
President Sukarno at the Bandung Conference
Crucial voice in anti-col debates in East Asia
Indonesias first president
Bandung Conference
convened by President Sukarno
29 participating states
Radically anti-col states + Western allies
Japan - 1951: San Fran treaty - Jap as ally to US
conference to discuss peace, position of the Global South in the Cold War,
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Document Summary
Lecture 6 - decolonisation & the rise of the non-aligned. The balance of power powers outside of western europe. Su and us imbalance of power between the west and the rest. Lib internationalism 2. 0 rise of a post-war order among democracies order focused on security problems in europe. Onset of the cold war bipolarity, nukes, the breakdown of the grand alliance in europe and asia. British + french set on maintaining multipolar order. 1949 nightmare for us fall of china to mao zedong (communism) Ussr detonates first atomic weapon years ahead of schedule. June 1950 - nk invades korea at stalin(cid:1685)s encouragement. Europe: the persistent dream of imperial resurrection perception of the need for empire empires used to maintain status and global significance. Empires used to finance efforts to rebuild after ww2. Britain(cid:1685)s credit destroyed by the war economically desperate state. = strong commitment to idea of relying on empires.
