Introduction:

            The Second World War (1939-45) on one hand weakened the might of the colonial powers like Britain, France, Spain etc and on the other hand this gave an immense boost the nationalistic freedom struggles in colonies across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Body:

The reasons for rise of nationalist movements and the subsequent decolonization are as following:

U.S Pressure on the Allies to Decolonise: One of the provisions of Atlantic Charter was the autonomy of Imperial colonies after World War II. The US and the colonies put pressure on Britain to abide by the terms of the Atlantic Charter After the war. The right of self-determination of the peoples was decided in the UN Charter of 1945 and within only two decades the whole system of colonialism collapsed.

U.S.S.R Support to National Movements: The Soviet Union supported the principle of nationalistic self-determination. Moreover, many colonies witnessed the growth of communism such as India, Vietnam and Malaysia etc. These were anti-colonial movements which received direct and indirect support from the Soviet Union.

Weakness in the colonial powers: The colonial powers Britain, France etc had faced huge losses of men and material during the war. The victory came at a great cost and this lead to developments of cracks in their colonial possessions across the world.

Awakening in the Colonies: Even before the world war, some of the colonies like India, Indonesia had demanded self-determination. As the World War broke out this gave further impetus to the national movements in the colonies. 

Nationalistic Movements in Asia:

• India: The Indian Independence movement reached its climax stage with the launch of Quit India Movement 1942 which was followed by RIN mutiny. The nationalistic fervor reached new heights with the calls for “Do or Die”. India achieved freedom from the British rule in 1947.
• Indonesia: The Dutch colonisers had curbed the growth of nationalism by arresting leaders and other stringent measures but the world war changed it when East Indies was occupied by Japan. A certain amount of political freedom and military training was given to the Indonesians by the Japanese. On the eve of the Japanese surrender, the Indonesian nationalists, encouraged by the Japanese, proclaimed the independence and established Indonesian Republic on August 17, 1945.
• Malaya: In the Second World War, the Japanese army invaded and occupied Malaya. Fall of Singapore and Japanese advances in Malay Peninsula during the World War II forced the British to consider reassessment of its non-interventionist policies in favour of ethnic cooperation and multiracial government in this region. But with the presence of diverse interest of different groups reaching to a consensus was a tough task. Popular support for independence increased after Malaya was reconquered by Allied Forces.
• Vietnam: During the war, the whole area was occupied by the Japanese, and resistance was organized by the communist Ho Chi Minh and the League for Vietnamese Independence (Vietminh). When the Japanese withdrew in 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent. This was unacceptable to the French, and an eight-year armed struggle began which culminated in the French defeat in May 1954.
• Burma: At the outbreak of the Second World War, Aung Sanseized the opportunity to bring about Burmese independence. In 1941, they fought alongside the Japanese who invaded Burma. The Japanese promised Aung San that if the British were defeated, they would grant Burma her freedom. When it became clear that the Japanese would not follow through with their promise, Aung San quickly negotiated an agreement with the British to help them defeat the Japanese. He was able to negotiate an agreement in January 1947 with the British, under which Burma would be granted total independence from Britain.

Nationalistic Movements in Africa:

• The decolonization of Africa followed World War II as colonized peoples agitated for independence and colonial powers withdrew their administrators from Africa.
• World War II saw the British African colonies support the Allies but no mention of independence for African nations.
• Imperial Japan’s conquests in the Far East caused a shortage of “raw materials such as rubber and various minerals. Africa benefitted from this change.
• Another key problem was the U-boats patrolling the Antarctic Ocean reduced the amount of raw materials’ being transported to Europe and prompted the creation of local industries in Africa. Local industries in turn caused creation of new towns, and existing towns doubled in size. As urban community and industry grew increased literacy, which allowed for pro-independence newspapers and rising nationalism in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana and other African States.
• The rise nationalism kick started the process of decolonization in Africa from the 1950’s.

Conclusion:

Hence, the World War-II served as a sort of death warrant for the colonial empires as after it, decolonization process started across the world.